AI in Marketing: Insights and Best Practices from Industry Leaders

In a rapidly evolving marketing landscape, The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), in partnership with Microsoft, recently hosted “AI in Action: Empowering Your Team” at Microsoft’s Paddington offices. The event brought together marketing professionals to explore the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the industry. Featuring insights from Microsoft’s team, a major brand owner, and a leading agency, the discussion highlighted AI’s ability to enhance creativity, boost productivity, and provide ethical, data-driven solutions. This write-up captures the key takeaways from the event, offering valuable insights for marketers seeking to harness AI effectively.

Two years after the "ChatGPT moment," members of the London marketing community gathered at Microsoft’s Paddington offices on November 20th to explore AI’s transformative impact. The evening began with insights from four esteemed speakers, followed by a panel discussion and networking session, creating a vibrant exchange of ideas for marketers at all career stages.

1. Supriya Dev-Purkaystha, Head of Media & Ad Tech Solutions (Microsoft): Elevating Media Engagement with AI and Ad Tech
Exploring the transformative potential of AI in media and advertising technology, Supriya focused on how it enhances user experiences. She emphasized AI’s ability to create deeper connections by delivering tailored content and fostering feedback loops that are meaningful for both users and advertisers. There is an increasing integration of AI in ad tech to refine targeting precision and improve the relevance of campaigns, ensuring that advertisements resonate with individual users. Great value can be found in partnerships to leverage AI’s full potential, enabling businesses to collaborate effectively to achieve impactful outcomes.

KEY TAKEAWAY: There is a need for marketers to adopt a mindset of continuous learning to keep pace with the rapid advancements in AI-driven ad tech.

2. James Murray, International Product Marketing Lead (Microsoft): AI as a Collaborative Tool for Work and Creativity
James illustrated the transformative capabilities of AI tools like Microsoft’s Copilot in managing complex data and simplifying daily workflows. AI has a lot to offer in generating detailed insights and actionable recommendations that save time and enhance decision-making. Through examples, James demonstrated how AI enables marketers to solve intricate problems, such as understanding consumer behaviour, with speed and precision. Importantly, he encouraged marketers to embrace AI not as a rival but as a collaborator that amplifies human creativity and productivity. He also touched on the broader implications of AI in personal life, fostering a more seamless integration of AI into various aspects of work and leisure, as well as hinting at areas of future development, including the advent of autonomous AI agents. His presentation underscored the need for businesses to leverage AI tools strategically, positioning them as essential co-creators in the marketing process.

KEY TAKEAWAY: View AI as an important partner, not a rival, to help elevate your personal and team performance.

3. Gordana Buccisano, Global Brands Strategy Communications Director (Reckitt): Unlocking Smart Marketing with AI
Gordana showcased how AI is reshaping marketing strategies at Reckitt, highlighting its role in driving productivity and creativity while safeguarding ethical standards. She shared examples of how AI tools are being customised to fit the unique needs of their campaigns, ensuring high levels of consumer trust and data protection. Gordana detailed the process of creating region-specific marketing assets that adhere to brand guidelines yet cater to local market dynamics, illustrating how AI can deliver personalised and scalable solutions. She also emphasised the importance of embedding ethical principles into AI applications, cautioning against potential risks such as generic outputs and breaches of consumer trust.

KEY TAKEAWAY: No matter what industry they operate in, marketers should invest in training AI tools to suit their organisational needs, ensuring they amplify human intelligence while aligning with corporate values.

4. Jonathan Harrison, Head of Digital Strategy (the7Stars): Redefining Agency-Client Relationships in the Age of AI
Jonathan provided a deep dive into how AI is influencing the agency-client relationship, focusing on three key areas: people, partners, and productivity. He emphasized the importance of equipping agency teams with the necessary skills to work alongside AI, ensuring they remain valuable to clients. Jonathan also highlighted the importance of transparency in partnerships, stressing that agencies must openly share their AI strategies and tools to foster trust. Additionally, he discussed how AI is helping agencies increase efficiency in media planning, creative ideation, and operational processes. Through examples, he demonstrated how AI tools streamline time-consuming tasks, enabling teams to focus on high-value creative and strategic work.

KEY TAKEAWAY: Agencies should define clear ethical guardrails and encourage experimentation, helping clients navigate the complexities of AI adoption.

Takeaways from the Panel Discussion
The panel reinforced the importance of transparency and ethical considerations when deploying AI in marketing. Key questions from the audience touched on practical applications, trust-building with AI outputs, and the evolving skill sets marketers need to thrive in an AI-powered future. It also covered the challenges that some marketers have faced in gaining access to GenAI tools, with the need to demonstrate to IT how AI can be used whilst minimising organisational risk.

Share your experiences
Please do share your experiences of using AI in marketing: What best practice have you seen or delivered? What challenges have you faced? Don’t forget that we are the vanguard. As James shared in his session, only 60% of the UK have heard of GenAI, only 36% have used it, and only 4% are regular users… let’s learn and innovate together.