{"id":90677,"date":"2025-07-02T08:00:49","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T12:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businessesgrow.com\/?p=90677"},"modified":"2025-07-01T13:48:47","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T17:48:47","slug":"ai-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businessesgrow.com\/2025\/07\/02\/ai-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"The AI Challenge Marketers Aren’t Talking About"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AI<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve been anywhere near a marketing podcast, blog, or LinkedIn stream lately, you know artificial intelligence is everywhere\u2014our conversations, our ambitions, and, yes, even our anxieties. But in our latest episode of the Marketing Companion, I had a revelation with my friend Mathew Sweezy that stopped my \u201chype train\u201d in its digital tracks. The pressing issue with AI in marketing might not be technical at all. It\u2019s not the software, the models, or even the mysterious \u201cprompt engineering.\u201d The real AI challenge is leadership.<\/p>\n

Mathew, who\u2019s leading AI transformation at the global digital agency Monks, dropped a line that every CMO needs to tattoo somewhere within eyesight: AI is a leadership challenge, not a technical one.<\/p>\n

Speed: The Underrated Competitive Edge<\/h2>\n

We started by talking about how corporate mindsets are splitting into two camps. Some are stuck in analysis paralysis, demanding to see hard ROI before dipping a toe. But the game changers\u2014often Fortune 10 juggernauts\u2014see AI as the next electricity. They\u2019re moving decisively, driven by exec teams that understand one truth: if you wait, you miss the moment. AI isn\u2019t about replacing people; it\u2019s about expanding what\u2019s possible and getting there first.<\/p>\n

Mathew shared that the primary way companies are unlocking value with AI is simple but powerful: speed. With AI, inspiration in the morning can turn into production by the afternoon. Marketers are going from concept to campaign at a velocity that in the past would have been unthinkable, letting them be genuinely relevant, responsive, and\u2014crucially\u2014competitive. Reduced costs and greater creative output are important, too, but speed is the ace in the deck.<\/p>\n

The AI Challenge Nobody Wants to Talk About<\/h2>\n

But here\u2019s where things got interesting. AI isn\u2019t the bottleneck with campaign launches anymore. People are. Most large organizations are still shackled by review cycles, legal approvals, and old-school processes. AI can generate a multi-channel campaign\u2014TV spot, emails, the works\u2014in a week. Yet, review and approval can drag on for weeks or months.<\/p>\n

Why? Because big brands have far more to lose than gain by being fast. The old guard doesn\u2019t want to risk a misstep, so speed grinds to a halt at the legal gate.<\/p>\n

Mathew challenged me\u2014has the balance of risk and reward shifted enough that we need to rethink the human review step? Increasingly, AI models can ingest prior review feedback and act as diligent gatekeepers themselves. At some point, more human reviews might not add value\u2014they could just add friction. I didn’t agree with him. Maybe friction is exactly what we need right now!<\/p>\n

Who Owns the Brand Brain?<\/h2>\n

Here\u2019s another mindbender: With agencies deploying AI \u201cagents\u201d to create assets at scale, who owns the \u201cbrand brain\u201d\u2014the central agent capturing brand knowledge, style, and sensibility? Is it the brand\u2019s to develop and guard, or does each agency make their own? Matthew predicts we\u2019ll see brands taking sharper control, centralizing that \u201cbrand brain,\u201d and letting agencies access it securely. This protects data, ensures brand consistency, and makes knowledge learning truly scalable.<\/p>\n

And don\u2019t worry, creative people: AI doesn\u2019t spell the end. In these new agentic workflows, creative directors are still calling the shots, just now with a team of digital \u201cspecialists\u201d who never tire, second-guess, or run late for a meeting.<\/p>\n

A New Era for Creativity<\/h2>\n

This all points to a future where a marketing department isn\u2019t just a mix of strategy and creative, but a system that learns, iterates, and rebuilds itself on a weekly\u2014or even daily\u2014basis. The wall between \u201cart\u201d and \u201cmachine\u201d is coming down. Matthew\u2014who\u2019s also an artist\u2014envisions exhibitions where artists create entire galleries in a day, reimagining the scale and pace of creative production.<\/p>\n

Like me, he sees the symbiotic relationship between artist and machine as amplifying, not diluting, creativity. Suddenly, your limitations as a creator\u2014whether they\u2019re artistic, logistical, or even emotional\u2014become machine problems, not human ones.<\/p>\n

The Takeaway<\/h2>\n

So, where does this leave us? For leaders ready to accept the risk, AI can transform not just your marketing output but your whole organization\u2019s metabolism. For those still clinging to the old ways, the real risk is getting left behind by brands who see \u201cspeed\u201d as non-negotiable.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t a time to be timid. It\u2019s a time for bold leadership, creative experimentation, and a willingness to reprogram the very rules we\u2019ve always followed. AI is here. The question isn\u2019t \u201cshould we use it?\u201d It\u2019s \u201chow fast can we lead?\u201d<\/p>\n

Every conversation with Mathew is a mind trip, and you won’t want to miss this\u00a0 new episode of The Marketing Companion:<\/p>\n

To listen in, just click here:<\/p>\n

Click here to enjoy The Marketing Companion Episode 318<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

\"Gen<\/p>\n

Please support our sponsor, who brings you this fantastic episode.<\/p>\n

Bravo for Brevo!<\/h2>\n

\"BrevoThis episode is brought to you by Brevo (formerly Sendinblue). Brevo gives you the tools to attract, engage, and nurture customer relationships.<\/p>\n

Now, any business can build automated customer experiences, email marketing workflows, and landing pages that guide your customer to your main message. We are here to support businesses successfully navigating their digital presence to strengthen their customer relationships.<\/p>\n

Go to\u00a0https:\/\/www.brevo.com\/marketingcompanion<\/a>\u00a0to sign up for Brevo for free and use the code COMPANION to save 50% on your first three months of Brevo\u2019s Starter & Business plan!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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It’s human adaption to speed and the new “brand brain.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":90678,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2031,12,47,27,65,57,30,83,1116,3113],"tags":[3383,3382,350,1872,2558,1212],"class_list":["post-90677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artificial-intelligence","category-business-strategy","category-futurist","category-internet-marketing","category-legal-implications","category-marketing-best-practices","category-marketing-strategy","category-podcasts","category-the-marketing-companion","category-trending","tag-ai-strategy","tag-chabots","tag-mark-schaefer","tag-marketing-strategy","tag-mathew-sweezey","tag-podcast"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe AI Challenge Marketers Aren't Talking About - Schaefer Marketing Solutions: We Help Businesses {grow}<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Futurist Mathew Sweezey challenges us with new marketing realities. 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