{"id":124121,"date":"2025-08-06T17:14:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T17:14:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/124121\/"},"modified":"2025-08-06T17:14:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T17:14:14","slug":"ways-marketers-can-succeed-in-the-new-ai-first-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/124121\/","title":{"rendered":"Ways Marketers Can Succeed In The New AI-First World"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the mass adoption of generative AI changes marketing and messaging best practices, expectations for content are skyrocketing. According to a new report<\/a> from B2B tech company communications agency 10Fold, 91% of marketers are producing more content in 2025<\/strong> than in any year prior, with nearly half saying their workload is increasing at a level of three to five times more than 2024. But three-quarters of those teams only saw modest marketing budget increases\u2014between 1% and 10%\u2014this year.<\/p>\n

To meet the heightened demands of AI, marketers are using (what else?) AI<\/strong>. In the U.S., three-quarters of marketers regularly use AI. And while 67% are using it for content creation, it\u2019s also being leveraged for planning, optimization and targeting, as well as analytics and business intelligence. Tools like ChatGPT remain popular, but half of marketers said they have AI tools built into their tech stack.<\/p>\n

In terms of staffing, AI is so far being used as a tool to help existing marketers do more<\/strong>. About 83% of marketers using AI did not see any job reductions in the last year. Only 17% saw their headcounts reduced, while 39% said their headcounts increased.<\/p>\n

The study shows that in the current moment, marketers are using AI as a partner to help them get through their work more effectively. But while it\u2019s not taking away jobs at this point, there is a danger of overreliance on AI<\/strong>. While AI can assist in content creation, savvy consumers can spot articles, emails, blogs, images and LinkedIn posts that are completely computer-generated. I talked to Danielle Sabrina, founder of Society22 PR, about how to revamp your content strategy to work with, and take advantage of, AI. An excerpt from our conversation is later in this newsletter.<\/p>\n

This is the published version of Forbes’ CMO newsletter, which offers the latest news for chief marketing officers and other messaging-focused leaders. Click here<\/a> to get it delivered to your inbox every Wednesday.<\/p>\n

MARKETING MATTERS<\/p>\n

A window display at an American Eagle store in New York City.<\/p>\n

Michael M. Santiago\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Late last month, clothing retailer American Eagle debuted a controversial new campaign for its denim starring actor Sydney Sweeney<\/strong>. The campaign focuses on Sweeney, who is white and blonde with blue eyes, and her \u201cgreat jeans,\u201d using a play on words to also talk about the hereditary kind of genes. In the video ad that has generated the most uproar, Sweeney says, \u201cGenes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color.\u201d The camera stops on Sweeney\u2019s face, and she says, \u201cMy jeans are blue.\u201d The words \u201cSydney Sweeney has great jeans\u201d fill the screen.<\/p>\n

Many people <\/strong>interpreted this play<\/strong><\/a> on words as a eugenics-related message<\/strong>, praising Sweeney for her racial background, writes Forbes senior contributor Dani DiPlacido. American Eagle responded that<\/a> the ad is about their jeans and nothing else. DiPlacido notes that the commercial featuring Sweeney is a new spin on the controversial 1980 ads<\/a> a then-15-year-old Brooke Shields did for Calvin Klein jeans\u2014which ended up being banned<\/a> by some.<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump, never one who can resist getting into social media controversy, weighed in<\/strong><\/a> on Sweeney\u2019s ad on his Truth Social platform<\/strong>. He said it was the \u201cHOTTEST ad out there,\u201d comparing its success to another recent marketing campaigns he criticized for being \u201cwoke:\u201d Jaguar\u2019s eclectic 2024 ad campaign with a diverse cast to build hype for its new electric vehicle. Reports over the weekend indicated Sweeney was a registered Republican voter in Florida, which Trump also praised. \u201cThe tide has seriously turned \u2014 Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

Following Trump\u2019s feedback, American Eagle\u2019s stock shot up 23%. The price has settled down a bit, but it\u2019s still gained more than 8% in the last week. Forbes contributor Doug Melville said the ad impacted<\/a> the marketing world as a whole in another way: Everyone is talking about an ad campaign<\/strong>, and it\u2019s not even Super Bowl season.<\/p>\n

STREAMING<\/p>\n

NFL RedZone host Scott Hanson at the 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City, Missouri.<\/p>\n

David Eulitt\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Weeks before ESPN\u2019s new streaming service kicks off, owner Disney reached a deal with the NFL to take a 10% equity stake in the network<\/strong>, the New York Times reported<\/a>. ESPN acquires the NFL Network and rights to the RedZone Channel, as well as other media assets. This deal ensures that the NFL Network will be \u201cseamlessly integrated\u201d into the ESPN app, Disney said, while three more NFL games will stream on ESPN platforms, and the broadcast network will feature a wider array of NFL specialty content, including extending rights to broadcast the NFL draft.<\/p>\n

Forbes contributor John Cassillo writes one change RedZone viewers are likely to see from the beginning <\/strong>are ads<\/strong><\/a> during its programming. That isn\u2019t necessarily a bad thing, he writes. In recent years, super-quick ads or well-placed longer advertisements make the breaks feel less tedious. Besides, he writes, the IAB found last year that 80% of consumers would be OK with watching more ads if it means the content is free.<\/p>\n

The new ESPN streaming service launches on August 21, but it\u2019s not the only big debut on streaming for that day. Fox One\u2014a service featuring Fox\u2019s video portfolio ranging from Fox News, Fox Business Channel, Fox Sports One and the Fox Network<\/strong>\u2014will also begin streaming<\/a> August 21, writes Forbes senior contributor David Bloom. Fox is the last major media company to debut a streaming service, and the launch was announced this week during the company\u2019s earnings report. CEO Lachlan Murdoch said during the report that they have modest expectations for subscribers at this point. Subscriptions will cost $19.99 a month.<\/p>\n

BRANDS + MESSAGING<\/p>\n

An image from Ralph Lauren’s Oak Bluffs Collection.<\/p>\n

Ralph Lauren<\/p>\n

While campaigns can get people talking, Ralph Lauren\u2019s new collection goes much deeper than just pictures or videos, getting into a new level of authenticity<\/strong>. At first glance, the Oak Bluffs Collection shows casual clothes and accessories for leisure that fit the vibe of a place along the shores of Martha\u2019s Vineyard. But, writes Forbes senior contributor Shelley Zalis, there\u2019s much more to it<\/a>. Oak Bluffs is a community in the Martha\u2019s Vineyard area where Black families and HBCU alumni have historically gathered for generations.<\/p>\n

The collection<\/a> was designed by graduates of Morehouse College and Spelman College\u2014and features many items with those schools\u2019 logos and initials\u2014honoring the long tradition of Black residents and visitors wearing classically tailored clothes for leisure on the waterfront enclave<\/strong>. Its website features photos, videos, maps and links to learn about the community\u2019s history and heritage\u2014as well as ways to purchase items in the collection. Forbes contributor Sonia Thompson writes that this collection gets modern consumer engagement<\/a> right. It highlights a Black community, leaning into its history and elevating its cultural tradition. It\u2019s also authentic, highlighting a Black cultural narrative that isn\u2019t often in the spotlight.<\/p>\n

ON MESSAGE
\nYour Old Marketing Playbook Is Dead: How To Adapt To An AI-First World<\/strong><\/p>\n

Society22 PR founder Danielle Sabrina.<\/p>\n

Society22 PR<\/p>\n

AI is completely changing the game for many things in our lives, but especially messaging and information. Where social media influencers had been the way to get noticed, now brands need to be able to be seen and picked up by AI chatbots used for search. And yes, more content can do this, but consumers are savvy to AI-generated content and will know when you\u2019re leaning too heavily on digital help. So what\u2019s a brand to do? I talked to Danielle Sabrina, founder of Society22 PR and a brand credibility expert, about how to navigate the new AI world. <\/p>\n

This conversation has been edited for length, clarity and continuity.<\/p>\n

When a consumer sees something coming from a trusted brand that they can tell is completely AI-generated, how does it change their opinion? Does AI hurt the branding?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sabrina: <\/strong>We\u2019ve done some research on it, and you\u2019re losing trust. It\u2019s almost like information overload. There\u2019s lack of storytelling. There\u2019s a lack of real engagement. It\u2019s a lot of content, but the content isn\u2019t saying anything.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re using AI for speed, not to completely take it off our hands. It\u2019s like: Let\u2019s create a really good piece of content that has a lot of depth and context, and then ask AI to turn that into five different pieces of content. The human element is so important right now in making sure that your content is conversational, because of how the AI engines are pulling this information. If it\u2019s a blog post or a social media post, [it needs] to truly be conversational. This is even for large Fortune 500 companies: They need to be less corporate now. They have to be more conversational, more founder-led, more thought leadership.<\/p>\n

These are getting pulled in because bots are crawling all of our websites and the web in general, looking for this information that matches the exact prompt that was put in. We\u2019re getting almost half of our inbound leads now from ChatGPT. It\u2019s not coming from Google, because our website analytics tell us that, and I\u2019m like, this is crazy.<\/p>\n

How can content become more relevant to AI search?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have the same PR campaign strategy as our clients, and I\u2019m investing just as much time into my own campaign as I\u2019m asking clients. Every day in my schedule, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., I\u2019m content creation. I have an entire team of writers. I have an entire team of publicists, and I\u2019m not passing it off. I\u2019m really pulling out what I know other founders are looking for, what other CEOs are looking for, what their marketing teams need.<\/p>\n

I know that by taking this time now and doing this, I\u2019m building my own chat agents. My team can go in and scale my thought leadership. The CEO or founder needs to be more involved in the thought leadership process at the core, because that\u2019s what\u2019s going to expand out to all the other branches of your content.<\/p>\n

Your earned media strategy right now is so important. That\u2019s what is working. Half of my leads are coming from ChatGPT, but they\u2019re going to take a piece of information from Forbes and have that as a credible source. When the entire world is asking [chatbots about your brand], it\u2019s going to pull what Forbes is saying over a random website or pieces of social media content. You should be so well known in your space to have the best possible chance to get ahead of this.<\/p>\n

Where should brands start if they\u2019re feeling a bit lost about having to completely change the marketing and messaging playbook they\u2019ve had for years?<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of my tips is go into ChatGPT and say, \u2018Write me a video script.\u2019 I share a story, and it could be of how we\u2019re scaling a company, or something internal, and I give it that context, and then it creates a video script for me. What is great about the video script is it\u2019s very conversational, so then we can take that video script and disseminate it to the team, and the editorial team can turn that into sound bites for reporters. It could turn it into social media content. It can turn it into content that we can use to market our brands.<\/p>\n

Make sure you have your own agent inside of whatever AI portal you\u2019re using so that you have your thought leadership. I think if you can start at that, CEOs are really going to understand to see how they can use it at a high level.<\/p>\n

Plug the time into developing your AI agent. Nobody can extract that level of thought leadership: I know how to market all of my brands, so all of my content is so specific. Here\u2019s what we did for a funding announcement, and here\u2019s the nuances that happen. Give it that information so you can scale yourself. I think that is going to open up a lot of possibilities for brands, because they\u2019re going to come up with some \u2018aha\u2019 moments.<\/p>\n

COMINGS + GOINGS<\/p>\n