# A Marketing Expert’s Reasoned Approach to GenAI | Capterra > A marketing expert explains that while GenAI is an exciting tool, it presents unique challenges to businesses seeking to use it, as well as customers at large. Source: https://www.capterra.com/resources/genai-marketing-expert --- Small Business Digital MarketingCreative & Design # GenAI Leaves ‘No Room for Purists’: A Marketing Expert’s Reasoned Approach Written by: Molly Burke Molly BurkeAuthor Senior Specialist Analyst Experience I have been writing content for Capterra since April 2022. I cover technology trends in retail, hospitality, and custome... [See bio & all articles](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/mburke/) and edited by: Carolyn Santa Maria Carolyn Santa MariaEditor Carolyn Santa Maria is a senior editor at Capterra. Carolyn has been working in content for more than five years as an editor. With her keen eye for detail, ... [See bio & all articles](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/carolyn-santa-maria/) Published July 24, 2024 6 min read Table of Contents - [GenAI iterates on staple automated content tools](#genai-iterates-on-staple-automated-content-tools) - [GenAI is no replacement for human ingenuity](#genai-elevates-marketing-content-but-is-no-replacement-for-human-ingenuity) - [GenAI can’t handle whatever you throw at it](#genai-cant-handle-whatever-you-throw-at-it) - [Applying AI to a problem doesn’t automatically fix it](#applying-ai-to-a-problem-doesnt-automatically-fix-it) - [AI-generated content will test notions about ‘authenticity’](#ai-generated-content-will-challenge-notions-around-authenticity) - [Take it from an expert: Embrace GenAI with caution](#take-it-from-an-expert-embrace-genai-with-caution) ## Cut through the noise around GenAI for marketing content creation. To help businesses make better decisions around generative AI, we asked a marketing expert with over two decades of experience for her thoughts on some of the biggest takeaways from Capterra’s 2024 GenAI for Social Content Survey.[\*](#methodology) Milena Schmidt is the director of corporate communications and media relations at Leaf Home, a direct-to-consumer home improvement company. Her experience working with companies on the cutting edge of AI sparked her passion for leveraging technology in marketing and communications. Schmidt busts some myths about [GenAI’s impact on the marketing industry](https://www.capterra.com/resources/generative-ai-for-social-media-content/) and explains how businesses should approach the technology that will impact the way the public views creativity, authenticity, and corporate integrity. Key insights: - 52% of marketers we surveyed are undecided on whether GenAI enhances or damages the creative process. - 67% of marketers using GenAI believe the technology can handle advanced marketing tasks. - Just 30% of marketers using GenAI always label their AI-generated content on social platforms. ## GenAI iterates on staple automated content tools  Schmidt points out that, for all the hubbub about how GenAI is revolutionizing creativity, using automated tools during content creation isn’t new to marketers. Take photo-editing filters or grammar-checking [writing assistant software](https://www.capterra.com/ai-writing-assistant-software/), for instance. Many marketers view today’s powerful content generators as the logical successors to tools that have become essential to their everyday work.  But whereas in the past, automated tools have been used to put the finishing touches on a piece of human-created content, marketers can now call on GenAI much earlier in the content creation workflow. With the right prompting, GenAI can almost instantly produce serviceable first drafts of jingles, B-roll video footage, or generic images—work that might have taken a human days or weeks to produce. Additionally, **nearly half (49%) of marketers we surveyed use GenAI to come up with social media campaign ideas**.  Schmidt acknowledges that the trend in which AI tools are creeping earlier into content workflows is what many GenAI critics find most alarming. But she pushes back on the idea that marketers will rely on GenAI en masse to replace humans at early stages in the creative process. “AI is going to, if used correctly, refine \[an existing idea\] and it may make the process a bit smoother. Again, just polishing, refining the edges, elevating. My personal experience hasn't been that people are using \[AI\] to generate ideas from scratch. They're using it the same way someone would use an editing tool to basically elevate what they've already produced themselves. And yes, we do see more image generation. It's the same way that someone would use stock footage that's already available, but they're taking a tool and creating their own stock footage, per se.” Milena Schmidt Director, corporate communications and media relations at Leaf Home ## GenAI elevates marketing content, but is no replacement for human ingenuity Utility aside, GenAI isn’t a perfect solution to creative bandwidth issues. **Over half (52%) of marketers using GenAI are undecided on whether this technology enhances or damages the creative process**. They worry that over-reliance on GenAI could lead to creative skill regression and diminished content quality. Additionally, an estimated 87% of marketers worry that its cost- and time-saving benefits could render human creatives, like themselves, obsolete in the eyes of their employers.[\[1\]](#sources) But as Schmidt explains, marketing output will increasingly become a blend of human and GenAI contributions, with human creatives in the driver’s seat. While the time- and cost-saving benefits of GenAI mean there will be little room for creative “purists” who are totally opposed to using it, the best campaign ideas will continue to come from people, not algorithms. “Detractors could be purists about the creative process. I can easily see how some people could think AI is going to become a crutch and create a generation of lackluster creatives; it'll be something people lean on, and media—or whatever industry we're talking about—will lack creativity. At this point in time, I mean, creativity is all human experience. I don't really see going into an AI tool to generate the basis of an award-winning campaign, to be honest. It's more about taking what humans have ideated and already produced and leveling it up. I don't think it's going to replace humans when it comes to creativity.” Milena Schmidt ## GenAI can’t handle whatever you throw at it Businesses are hopeful about GenAI’s potential to improve performance across marketing initiatives, and to succeed at tasks both simple and complex. In fact, **67% of marketers in our survey believe GenAI tools can replace humans for advanced, not just routine, marketing tasks**. But that's overly optimistic, says Schmidt, who cautions that marketing teams are not ready for “total immersion” into GenAI tools. Not only is GenAI unsuitable for some tasks, it takes time to ramp up use of it for appropriate use cases. Purchasing decision-makers need to carefully select the right tools, leaders need to align on appropriate use cases, and end users need to be trained on best practices. “It is very optimistic, and slightly worrisome, if people are trusting AI. It's not an opportunity to reduce your team's headcount. You're still going to want and need people for editing, oversight, and QA for any AI output you're getting, whether it's for the most simple or complex task. You're only as good as your prompts, so that's going to need a lot of refining. Also, there are just so many tools out there. There are paid subscription tools for writing; there are others that are just for generating images. You're not going to find a one-size-fits-all, so it's going to take some time to find the right tool for the right task. I also don't advise that everyone jump into the deep end. You don't want to do as much as you can, as fast as you can, because everything is so new and subject to error. Pick one or two things and see how you can level them up. Quality over quantity. And testing, testing, testing! At the end of the day, after you've gone through all of this, you have to assess: Was it worth it and what value did you get?” Milena Schmidt ## Applying AI to a problem doesn’t automatically fix it  Schmidt recalls a recent experience with a GenAI virtual try-on tool intended to show how the same garment fits a variety of AI-generated bodies meant to represent real customers. It was an interesting concept, but the tool didn't actually provide the information that would have helped her make a satisfying purchase. Instead, it led to frustration—not only did the tool not deliver on its objective, it undermined the company’s efforts to appear size-inclusive.    It was a great example of why businesses should avoid falling for the hype that heralds GenAI as a cure-all for marketing and customer experience issues. The reality is that overreliance on today’s GenAI tools may compromise the quality of the customer experience and harm your brand. What may seem like an amazing innovation to your marketing team may come off as gimmicky or disingenuous to customers.   This should go without saying, but using AI to exaggerate what your products—physical or digital—can do is unethical, may be unlawful, and will definitely turn some customers off.[\[2,3\]](#sources) “The other day I was really pleased to see that there were some plus-sized models that I could try different dresses on. But at the same time, they weren’t real people. It was AI. It felt like I was playing a game with paper dolls—I was taking the same exact dress that would fit a size four and putting it on a size 14. There was so much room for improvement.  We’re trying, and all these ideas are great. They still need to be perfected. In my mind, who allowed that to go out there as something that’s going to improve the customer shopping experience?” Milena Schmidt ## AI-generated content will challenge notions around “authenticity” As governments and businesses scramble to keep up with the pace of GenAI advancements, many social media companies have begun recommending that users label AI-generated content. Originally intended to protect the public from political misinformation, proponents of this controversial move say it should also promote transparency between advertisers and their online audiences.[\[4\]](#sources) Marketers are generally aware of new labeling recommendations, and most indicate that required labels for AI-generated content would have a positive impact on their social media campaigns. That said, **only 30% of surveyed marketers always label their AI-generated content on social media**.   The reason, explains Schmidt, lies with how GenAI is challenging conventional notions of what makes content “authentic” or “real,” and whether we’re willing to adjust those definitions as more of what we see online is created by or with GenAI. A largely unacknowledged chunk of the branded content on social media is already AI-generated: Companies across the globe say roughly 39% of their social media content is currently produced with GenAI. We’re all caught in a turbulent phase wherein institutions and consumers are realizing how much of the images, sounds, and writing we consume every day is created by AI. Schmidt suggests that this will necessitate a reevaluation of how we perceive brands and their creative work. With jobs and money on the line, there will be pushback and demands for boundaries on acceptable levels of AI contribution. With the future of marketing being a combination of human- and AI-driven work, we will inevitably come up with more nuanced ways to categorize creative content beyond the AI labels social media companies have rolled out in recent months.  “Labeling content is going to open the door to criticism, negative perceptions. Will people think less of that work? Will they think less of the brand authenticity? It’s that buzzword that isn't going away anytime soon. People want real, relatable content, and how is AI going to achieve that? Are we going to trust these companies more for being transparent, are we going to trust them less for using these tools? And how will our brand love, our brand perceptions change? We still have a long way to go figuring out how to use \[GenAI\] in a way that captures all that. Perhaps this exists; I haven’t come across it yet. When you submit campaigns for awards, is there a category for best generative AI content? I wonder if we start treating it differently within industry circles, if people look at, ‘this is an amazing way that this company leveraged \[AI\] to create X, Y, and Z.’ What percentage do you deem necessary to put that label on? Because remember, everyone is using it in some way, shape, or form.” Milena Schmidt ## Take it from an expert: Embrace GenAI with caution Love or hate [GenAI software](https://www.capterra.com/generative-ai-software/), it’s likely here to stay. With careful planning and training, GenAI can be a valuable tool for marketers. But businesses will need to pay attention to how the capabilities and attitudes toward GenAI shift, both within their organizations and their audiences.   Businesses that adopt GenAI for content creation should keep in mind that more content output means a bigger mess if you don’t have an organized place to store it. [Digital asset management software](https://www.capterra.com/digital-asset-management-software/) can help marketers manage assets, stay on top of workflows, and foster collaboration among stakeholders. If you want to explore GenAI but aren’t sure where to start, check out Capterra’s top-rated artificial intelligence service providers or our top-rated social media marketing agencies, many of whom work with AI tools to provide cutting-edge service. * * * **Survey methodology** \*Capterra’s GenAI for Social Content Survey was conducted in May 2024 among 1,680 respondents in the U.S. (n: 190), Canada (n: 108), Brazil (n: 179), Mexico (n: 199), the U.K. (n: 197), France (n: 135), Italy (n: 102), Germany (n: 90), Spain (n: 123), Australia (n: 200), and Japan (n: 157). The goal of the study was to learn more about the impacts of generative AI on social media marketing strategies. Respondents were screened for marketing, PR, sales, or customer service roles at companies of all sizes. Each respondent indicated their use of generative AI to assist with their company's social media marketing at least once each month. Sources 1. [What Marketing Can Teach the Enterprise About AI](https://www.gartner.com/doc/code/811080), Gartner 2. [Ethical Issues with Generative AI in Retail Marketing](https://therobinreport.com/ethical-issues-with-generative-ai-in-retail-marketing/), The Robin Report 3. [Avoid Unlawful Advertising: Seven Rules for Your Business](https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/avoid-unlawful-advertising-seven-rules-29801.html), Nolo 4. [How should AI-generated content be labeled?](https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/how-should-ai-generated-content-be-labeled), MIT Sloan School of Management **_Note:_** _Interview responses have been edited for brevity and clarity._ * * * ### Was this article helpful? * * * ## About the Authors [### Molly Burke](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/mburke/) Molly Burke is a senior analyst and writer for Capterra. She covers customer experience and marketing in the retail and restaurant industries, with a focus on how emerging technology is transforming the way everyday people shop. Her insights on generative AI, social media, and other tech trends have been featured in The New York Times, Vogue, BBC, CNBC, Forbes, and the Financial Times, among other publications. [### Carolyn Santa Maria](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/carolyn-santa-maria/) Carolyn Santa Maria is a senior editor at Capterra. Carolyn has been working in content for more than five years as an editor. With her keen eye for detail, technical experience, and cross-team collaborative expertise, she has developed new content types, briefs, and processes for a variety of different projects and teams. She has edited a large variety of content, including research reports, white papers, eBooks, email marketing campaigns, and many other types of technical papers. 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