12.3.2024
Did you know in the AI world, only about 30% of researchers are women? And in higher positions, this number is even lower. This isn't just in research; less than 25% of AI specialists are women. I think it's time for a change. I'm Jeanette Hepp, CMO at Frontnow, and I see this imbalance every day. That's why I'm excited to introduce "AI-Conic Women."
Jeanette Hepp
Chief Marketing Officer
This series is dedicated to the amazing women in AI, who are not just part of the industry but are actively shaping its future. Join me in exploring their stories, celebrating their achievements, and drawing inspiration from how they're making AI more inclusive and innovative. This week: Luanne Calvert, board member, start-up advisor, and TEDx speaker. She's also a true legend when it comes to marketing and branding.
Luanne, could you share your journey and the pivotal moments in your career that have influenced your perspective on marketing and brand strategy?
The most pivotal moment in my career was the arrival of the internet in a meaningful way to marketers, circa 1995. Wow! it became clear that the dichotomy of marketing– measurement and imagination–would have no limits with the exception of fears around the new technology (Deja vu?). We experimented, we messed up, we learned, we improved. At early Yahoo!, we worked alongside the braver big brands, transforming old school analog strategies into new world digital technology. Examples include converting consumer sales channels from ‘bricks and mortar’ stores to websites; converting monster offline promotions for brands like Pepsi to the web; figuring out how to create an emotional connection to digital versus physical brands. We were also changing the world of marketing measurement based on actual clicks versus old school ‘opportunity for exposure’.
Exciting times, especially for the brave.
Reflecting on your extensive experience, how do you see the integration of traditional marketing techniques with digital innovations shaping the future of marketing?
A complete reframe of the CMO role is needed as the marketing discipline moves away from traditional marketing (e.g., focus on big media brand budgets) to accountability on product innovation, digital solutions that can displace costs, incorporating technology (e.g., AI) across company resources from consumer touchpoints to the supply chain.
In a rapidly evolving marketing landscape, how should current marketing leaders balance strategic direction with the need for agility and adaptation?
Foundation step: A thoughtful, collaborative, and agreed upon vision that includes a unique positioning and audience strategy. A plan, a flexible one, is the starting point and it’s surprising how rare it is.
Only then can the team constantly experiment headed in the right direction in an agile fashion that leads to learning, failing, and incorporating what works.
From your viewpoint, what impact has AI had on enhancing creativity and effectiveness in marketing campaigns?
It’s only just begun.
One example of an exciting effect will be personalization, creating more compelling, engaging content for each consumer. For example, imagine yourself at a new tropical vacation destination, in an ad showing a short generative film of you and your family enjoying this destination (might be creepy if you don’t opt-in!).
What key adjustments do you think are necessary for today's CMOs to stay ahead with the continual evolution of technology, particularly AI?
I think the first priority is to understand how the CMO role is changing (see earlier question) and then how AI fits into the business strategy. AI is not a strategy, it’s technology to deliver a strategy. The adjustments require building an organization that has a clear plan, vision and decision-making metrics. Most importantly, building a “fun not fear” team culture that is not afraid to experiment with all the latest technologies - including AI - to measurably deliver goals.
Talent resources will need to be adjusted. Hopefully more jobs will be created than eliminated with AI. Most likely junior/mid-level jobs in areas such as graphics, analytics, video, social media manager will be reduced. However, higher level strategic, technical, skilled roles in these same areas will increase. There will also be an increased need for AI specific legal resources as the laws evolve!
Are there aspects of AI in marketing that you're skeptical about, especially concerning ethics and consumer privacy?
To start, I will refer to a quote from the Axios media Tech editor (Feb 2024) “The history of tech is that things get over hyped–then wind up being big, but not as huge as sold.”
I’m skeptical about the irrational fears around AI, and the entities that benefit from creating the fear. Cautious optimism about what will be unfolding is the better path. I respect how companies like Google Gemini and OpenAI are trying to mitigate fears by building trust and deploying products as ethically as possible.
You've mentioned high employee engagement scores in your teams. What leadership qualities and practices do you think are crucial for building and sustaining high-performing marketing teams in an era increasingly dominated by AI and tech innovations?
What makes good leadership is not about AI or technology but about creating a clear and simple vision for the team that enables them to have ideas and make their own aligned decisions. The best leaders put their people first. Then these leaders are there to support and coach the team, including encouraging them to experiment (e.g., AI) and create a trusting - and dare I say fun - environment that encourages risk taking and making mistakes as a way to move forward and stay ahead of the competition. Easy to say, hard to do!
Looking forward, what emerging trends do you believe will shape the future of marketing in the next few years?
I'll embrace the biggest trend and ask ChapGPT to help answer this:
1. Personalization at Scale
2. AI and Machine Learning
3. Voice Search and Smart Speakers
4. Influencer Marketing Evolution
5. Video Content Dominance
6. Privacy and Data Protection
7. Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)
8. Sustainability and Purpose-Driven Marketing
9. Customer Experience (CX) Optimization
10. Ephemeral Content and Social Messaging
The basics don’t change: Successful marketers will need to stay agile, embrace emerging trends, and prioritize customer-centric and measurable strategies to stay ahead in an increasingly competitive landscape.
This series is dedicated to the amazing women in AI, who are not just part of the industry but are actively shaping its future. Join me in exploring their stories, celebrating their achievements, and drawing inspiration from how they're making AI more inclusive and innovative. This week: Luanne Calvert, board member, start-up advisor, and TEDx speaker. She's also a true legend when it comes to marketing and branding.
Luanne, could you share your journey and the pivotal moments in your career that have influenced your perspective on marketing and brand strategy?
The most pivotal moment in my career was the arrival of the internet in a meaningful way to marketers, circa 1995. Wow! it became clear that the dichotomy of marketing– measurement and imagination–would have no limits with the exception of fears around the new technology (Deja vu?). We experimented, we messed up, we learned, we improved. At early Yahoo!, we worked alongside the braver big brands, transforming old school analog strategies into new world digital technology. Examples include converting consumer sales channels from ‘bricks and mortar’ stores to websites; converting monster offline promotions for brands like Pepsi to the web; figuring out how to create an emotional connection to digital versus physical brands. We were also changing the world of marketing measurement based on actual clicks versus old school ‘opportunity for exposure’.
Exciting times, especially for the brave.
Reflecting on your extensive experience, how do you see the integration of traditional marketing techniques with digital innovations shaping the future of marketing?
A complete reframe of the CMO role is needed as the marketing discipline moves away from traditional marketing (e.g., focus on big media brand budgets) to accountability on product innovation, digital solutions that can displace costs, incorporating technology (e.g., AI) across company resources from consumer touchpoints to the supply chain.
In a rapidly evolving marketing landscape, how should current marketing leaders balance strategic direction with the need for agility and adaptation?
Foundation step: A thoughtful, collaborative, and agreed upon vision that includes a unique positioning and audience strategy. A plan, a flexible one, is the starting point and it’s surprising how rare it is.
Only then can the team constantly experiment headed in the right direction in an agile fashion that leads to learning, failing, and incorporating what works.
From your viewpoint, what impact has AI had on enhancing creativity and effectiveness in marketing campaigns?
It’s only just begun.
One example of an exciting effect will be personalization, creating more compelling, engaging content for each consumer. For example, imagine yourself at a new tropical vacation destination, in an ad showing a short generative film of you and your family enjoying this destination (might be creepy if you don’t opt-in!).
What key adjustments do you think are necessary for today's CMOs to stay ahead with the continual evolution of technology, particularly AI?
I think the first priority is to understand how the CMO role is changing (see earlier question) and then how AI fits into the business strategy. AI is not a strategy, it’s technology to deliver a strategy. The adjustments require building an organization that has a clear plan, vision and decision-making metrics. Most importantly, building a “fun not fear” team culture that is not afraid to experiment with all the latest technologies - including AI - to measurably deliver goals.
Talent resources will need to be adjusted. Hopefully more jobs will be created than eliminated with AI. Most likely junior/mid-level jobs in areas such as graphics, analytics, video, social media manager will be reduced. However, higher level strategic, technical, skilled roles in these same areas will increase. There will also be an increased need for AI specific legal resources as the laws evolve!
Are there aspects of AI in marketing that you're skeptical about, especially concerning ethics and consumer privacy?
To start, I will refer to a quote from the Axios media Tech editor (Feb 2024) “The history of tech is that things get over hyped–then wind up being big, but not as huge as sold.”
I’m skeptical about the irrational fears around AI, and the entities that benefit from creating the fear. Cautious optimism about what will be unfolding is the better path. I respect how companies like Google Gemini and OpenAI are trying to mitigate fears by building trust and deploying products as ethically as possible.
You've mentioned high employee engagement scores in your teams. What leadership qualities and practices do you think are crucial for building and sustaining high-performing marketing teams in an era increasingly dominated by AI and tech innovations?
What makes good leadership is not about AI or technology but about creating a clear and simple vision for the team that enables them to have ideas and make their own aligned decisions. The best leaders put their people first. Then these leaders are there to support and coach the team, including encouraging them to experiment (e.g., AI) and create a trusting - and dare I say fun - environment that encourages risk taking and making mistakes as a way to move forward and stay ahead of the competition. Easy to say, hard to do!
Looking forward, what emerging trends do you believe will shape the future of marketing in the next few years?
I'll embrace the biggest trend and ask ChapGPT to help answer this:
1. Personalization at Scale
2. AI and Machine Learning
3. Voice Search and Smart Speakers
4. Influencer Marketing Evolution
5. Video Content Dominance
6. Privacy and Data Protection
7. Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)
8. Sustainability and Purpose-Driven Marketing
9. Customer Experience (CX) Optimization
10. Ephemeral Content and Social Messaging
The basics don’t change: Successful marketers will need to stay agile, embrace emerging trends, and prioritize customer-centric and measurable strategies to stay ahead in an increasingly competitive landscape.
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