Stacey Epstein demystifies the future of marketing and offers a guide to designing transformative customer journeys and brand experiences

In the ever-changing digital landscape, Marketers constantly seek innovative strategies to captivate their audience, deliver personalized experiences, and streamline content creation processes. One technology that holds tremendous promise in achieving these goals is Generative artificial intelligence (AI). By harnessing the power of deep learning algorithms and neural networks trained on extensive datasets, generative AI has the potential to revolutionize marketing content creation, enhance personalization, and transform how brands engage with their customers.

In a conversation with Stacey Epstein, CMO at Freshworks, we delve into the role of generative AI in shaping the future of marketing.

How do you see generative AI transforming the marketing content creation landscape? Where can it make a difference?

I see generative AI as a transformative force in marketing content creation, offering remarkable potential to enhance various aspects of marketing. By automating the generation of personalized and engaging content at scale, generative AI can revolutionize copywriting, campaign development and execution, social media marketing, visual production, website design, video production, and much more. Its applications are vast and growing exponentially.

By relieving marketers of repetitive tasks, generative AI allows them to focus on strategic outcomes. Moreover, it serves as an invaluable tool for inspiration and idea generation, enabling marketers to explore new creative territories, experiment with innovative content formats, adapt to changing consumer preferences, and deliver captivating experiences that truly engage their audience.

What are the potential challenges of incorporating generative AI in marketing strategies, and how can marketers harness its power while ensuring ethical considerations and brand authenticity?

This is an area that needs significant attention from marketing leaders and individuals that are responsible for content creation. For instance, AI-generated content may lack the creativity and originality essential for a brand’s success, and there are concerns about the potential for misuse and exploitation of data. We must proactively create checks and balances to ensure that the AI-generated content aligns with brand values, is consistent with the brand’s voice, and resonates with the target audience.

Marketers must also be mindful of actively monitoring the output and verifying information to avoid biases and potential hallucinations arising from AI-generated content. Furthermore, it is essential to follow ethical standards and avoid plagiarism by providing credits and citations wherever needed.

Ensuring a proper balance between AI-driven content generation, human oversight, and creative direction is vital for successfully implementing generative AI in marketing in the long run.

[Read also: Freshworks SVP of customer experience on generative AI’s impact on customer service and support]

How can generative AI enhance personalization and customer experiences in marketing, and how does Freshworks plan to help marketers leverage its power?

Generative AI empowers marketers to deliver highly personalized and tailored experiences by dynamically generating content based on individual preferences and behavior. It enables the creation of unique storytelling experiences, customized product recommendations, email campaigns, and interactive content that resonates with customers, enhancing their brand experience.

At Freshworks, we are dedicated to helping marketers harness the power of generative AI through our platform, Freshmarketer. Our native AI engine, Freddy AI, has been integral to our CRM solutions since 2018. By enhancing Freddy AI with generative AI technology, we are revolutionizing how marketers design and launch campaigns. With an AI-first approach, marketers can converse with Freddy AI to identify the ideal target audience, generate compelling messaging, personalize product recommendations, and determine the optimal timing for campaign launches. All of this can be accomplished within a matter of minutes.

I invite you to join us on June 22 at the Freshworks Q2 ’23 Launch: Virtual Event for an exclusive look into our latest AI-driven innovations.

How do you envision the collaboration between generative AI and human creativity in marketing? How can marketers strike the right balance between AI-driven content generation and human creative input?

I firmly believe that AI isn’t a threat to marketers but that collaboration between generative AI and human creativity is a harmonious partnership that leverages the strengths of both. While AI can automate specific tasks, human input is indispensable for guiding creative direction, understanding cultural nuances, maintaining brand consistency, and infusing emotional appeal into the marketing content.

Generative AI serves as a valuable assistant, generating ideas, offering suggestions, and providing data-driven insights that inform decision-making. By harnessing the insights provided by generative AI, marketers can unleash their creativity and craft impactful campaigns that leave a lasting impression.

Striking the right balance between AI-driven content generation and human creative input involves careful orchestration, with marketers ensuring that the AI output aligns with their creative vision while taking advantage of the efficiency and innovation offered by AI technologies.

As generative AI continues to evolve, what emerging trends or advancements do you believe marketers should pay attention to in order to stay ahead of the curve and leverage the latest developments in this field?

Recently, AI has been advancing at an incredibly rapid pace, and it is challenging to accurately predict what will happen on this front over the next few months. I wouldn’t be surprised if AI has made significant leaps by the time this interview gets published. But on a more serious note, I think marketers should keep an eye on emerging trends such as AI-generated influencer marketing, voice-powered virtual assistants, and immersive augmented reality experiences. These trends present exciting opportunities for marketers to captivate their audience, create interactive brand experiences, and harness the power of generative AI in novel and innovative ways.

By embracing these advancements, marketers can position themselves ahead of the curve, staying attuned to the ever-evolving landscape and delivering exceptional experiences to their audience.

Besides marketing, what other areas are you most excited to see generative AI transform?

I’m excited about the potential of generative AI to disrupt and transform areas like sales, customer experience, employee experience, and many other aspects of business. But the area I’m personally most excited about is how AI accessibility can empower and enhance society at large. 

I’m looking forward to how AI can transform the lives of individuals with learning disabilities, visual and hearing challenges, cognitive differences, and age-related limitations. By designing AI-powered products and services with accessibility in mind, we can cater to the diverse needs of these individuals and provide them with better opportunities to engage with the broader community. It has the potential to significantly improve the quality of life for such individuals, which I am excited about.

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