Beyond the Hype: What AI Adoption in Marketing Really Takes
Image Steve Johnson
There isn’t a function in business today that’s untouched by AI. It’s in the platforms we use, the workflows we follow, even the way we manage our personal lives.
But in most companies, AI is still in the shadows. Quietly used, foundationally governed. If your organisation isn’t formally adopting AI, chances are your teams are experimenting already and perhaps without policy, guidance, or oversight.
Why marketing feels it most
Marketing is drowning in production tasks from resizing social assets, translating materials, reformatting videos, adapting for different markets. This is where AI can shine. It takes the heavy lift away so people can focus on what only humans do best- emotion, storytelling, and judgement.
But there’s a tipping point. If we over-rotate to speed and scale, we risk undervaluing depth and originality. I was reminded of this recently at our local Everyman cinema where four trailers in a row contained AI-generated content. It’s happening already: fast, quiet, and in plain sight.
Six months in the trenches
Over the last six months I’ve been deeply involved in AI adoption in a large-scale marketing environment, looking at both how vendors approach it and how internal teams manage the change.
Here’s what I’ve learned:
Brand guidelines aren’t ready for AI. Most brand playbooks weren’t written with AI in mind, they rarely cover things like photorealistic imagery, likeness, or synthetic audio. If your guidelines don’t address these, you’re exposed and will end up having to retrospectively build this in.
Ownership questions get messy. Who owns an image generated by AI? Do you have the rights to use existing photography and alter it with AI? Can you publish AI generated content and use it commercially? What happens if it resembles an existing product, landmark, or recognisable individual? These are grey areas, and without clarity, there’s a risk.
Bias doesn’t disappear with tech. Every creative team talks about diversity and representation, but if your AI training or prompts aren’t managed, bias creeps in fast. If you’ve already done the work to mitigate bias in your campaigns, extend that discipline into AI usage.
Review processes need rethinking. Most marketing teams already run approval workflows for content. AI accelerates production, which means those workflows either break under the volume or need to adapt. Where does AI-generated work get flagged? Who is responsible for final human review?
AI can’t sit outside transformation. In most companies, marketing isn’t the only function experimenting- HR, finance, and product often are too. If your AI approach doesn’t connect to the wider transformation roadmap, you’ll duplicate effort, miss shared guardrails, or create inconsistent experiences for employees and customers.
Continuous training is non-negotiable. By the time you’ve implemented one AI tool, a new model will have launched. Training isn’t a one-off project…it’s ongoing. You need a roadmap for skills, not just software.
This is what struck me most: AI adoption isn’t just a technology rollout - it’s organisational change.
The talent angle nobody’s talking about
One thing that surprised me: AI adoption isn’t just a process or tech project- it’s a people project.
Marketers know AI is going to shape their careers. They’re excited to use it, and they want companies that give them the chance to build those skills early. In other words: how you approach AI can become a competitive advantage for attracting and retaining talent.
So where do we go from here?
This post is a starter for ten, but the moral of the story is simple: AI in marketing is way more than just plugging in a tool.
It’s about:
Guardrails that protect your brand.
Governance that keeps the process human.
Guidelines that evolve for an AI world.
Training that never stops.
The businesses that get this right will be the ones that keep creativity intact while using AI to scale smarter. The ones that don’t will find themselves moving fast… but in the wrong direction.
Let’s Talk.
If you’re navigating change - a merger, transformation, or a moment where brand and marketing need to lead, I’d love to help.
👉 Email me directly: andrews_samantha@hotmail.com
👉 Or message me on LinkedIn: Samantha Andrews