From test to scale: Leveraging generative AI for the five ‘C’s of digital marketing

Digital marketing has become increasingly complex with the proliferation of new technologies, platforms and data sources competing for shrinking marketing budgets and waning consumer attention spans. Increased government scrutiny and focus on consumer protection have also created additional difficulty and competition for digital marketers. Simultaneously, innovations in machine learning and generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) are driving new levels of operational efficiency, offering marketers transformative tools to enhance productivity. However, many organisations are not prepared to introduce this new technology and create a culture of testing and scaling AI technologies within the organisation. Adoption of advanced tools represents significant opportunities for digital marketers combined with challenges in a business environment bogged down by regulatory concerns, employee apprehension and rising operational costs. To navigate these tumultuous times successfully, digital marketers require a healthy blend of advanced technical knowledge and calculated risk-taking. By concentrating on the five ‘C’s of digital marketing (content, creative, campaigns, conversions and customer), marketers can identify the best instances for adopting GenAI into their process. To maximise impact and efficiency, marketers must commit to bringing GenAI into the organisation with a streamlined method. This paper introduces the ITMS (introduce, test, measure, scale) framework, offering a four-step progression for AI projects from start to scale. With these frameworks, digital marketers can lead an organisation to increased productivity by introducing new and useful GenAI tools to create meaningful value and drive quantifiable efficiency.