Brave New Brand: Navigating AI, Storytelling, and Customer Trust

As AI changes the way marketing works, marketing and communication teams need to rethink their approach.

AI is no longer just a future trend; it’s happening now. It’s transforming how brands interact, how messages spread, and how audiences react.

Where AI is Already Delivering Value Let’s look at the positive changes AI has brought to the marketing and communications field:

• Targeted Audience Segmentation: AI can analyse large amounts of data to find smaller audience groups and insights about their behaviour that human analysts might miss. This leads to higher conversion rates, lower acquisition costs, and deeper engagement.

• Smarter Social Media Monitoring: AI-powered tools can spot shifts in sentiment, identify reputational risks, and highlight emerging trends before they become popular, giving brands an advantage in handling crises and staying relevant.

• Seamless Scheduling and Automation: Tasks like scheduling content, A/B testing, and even drafting initial copy have become automated. This allows teams to focus on more creative and strategic work.

We’re not making guesses anymore. We’re using data to make decisions quickly in tune with culture.

From SEO to GEO: The Shift That Matters

Not long ago, in my twenty-plus-year career, I made SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) a key part of marketing, communications, and audience growth.

Now, GEO (Generative Experience Optimisation) is gaining traction. GEO focuses on creating intelligent, personalised brand experiences using real-time data and AI tools.

It’s not just about being noticed; it’s about being felt by the right person, at the right time, in the right tone, and through the right channel.

This means marketing teams need to think beyond keywords. We must optimise for emotional connection, context, and dynamic engagement, creating content and campaigns that are not only relevant but also deeply human. AI provides the tools, but we must use them thoughtfully.

But what about storytelling?

With my background in mission-driven campaigns and audience engagement, I believe storytelling must have a human touch.

It's easy to be concerned when business leaders push us towards automation and optimisation, which can lead to downsizing marketing teams or cutting budgets. This path can pose real risks: losing the humanity that makes great storytelling resonate.

Audiences connect with stories that reflect their values, struggles, and dreams. If we rely too much on AI-created content without genuine human oversight, our communications could come off as generic, disconnected, and even alienating. Brands need to resist the urge to over-automate their voice. Authenticity, empathy, and emotional depth are areas where humans still excel.

The solution? AI-assisted storytelling, not fully AI-written stories.

Let AI manage research, drafts, and personalisation models while humans add the emotional core. The strongest teams of the future will be those that know how to work with AI, using it to enhance creativity, empathy, and effectiveness.

This era, powered by AI, is not a threat; it’s an opportunity to improve.

Here’s how marketers and communicators can stay up-to-date:

• Upskill with Intent: Learn the basics of AI tools, like generative content platforms and customer data platforms (CDPs). You don’t need coding skills, but you should understand what these tools can offer and their limitations.

• Lead with Strategic Curiosity: Be the voice in discussions, asking: What problem are we solving with AI? How does this relate to our brand’s purpose? A strategic mindset is always more important than just being tactically skilled.

• Collaborate Across Functions: The future belongs to teams that can work across different areas. Marketing, data science, licensing, membership, IT, and programs all need to communicate clearly and design around the entire customer journey.

• Protect the Human Element: Storytelling, empathy, and ethical judgment are your strengths. They make AI insights meaningful.

So, let’s stop wondering if AI will take over marketing jobs. Instead, let’s consider: What can we create together that neither of us could achieve alone?

The answer is a marketing function that’s not only faster and smarter but also more human than ever. Let’s take the lead. Not with fear, but with clarity, creativity, and courage.

The future of Marketing and Communications is a partnership with AI, not a takeover by AI.