AI is everywhere, and a very popular discussion when it comes to marketers and their agencies.
Like any new technology, there will be good and bad players. In the world of marketers and their agencies, most agencies will leverage AI to deliver even better support and outcomes for their clients.
And some won’t. And unfortunately, some can’t be trusted.
AI claims should come with a “buyer beware” warning.
Why do I say that? There have been repeated examples and a great deal of evidence over the past few years that some agencies simply can’t be trusted. It’s a shame that such a fantastic industry, full of ethical and client centric people, has often been tarnished by a minority… yet that is the case.
Just a quick recap of some of the bad behavior in recent years includes:
– the fired UK WPA executive suing WPP, alleging the agency was hiding media kickbacks from their clients
– the 2017 ANA report on agency kickbacks
– the recent WPP executive’s bribery case in China
– most anything written about principal media
– Arielle Garcia’s warnings about poor data accuracy in digital advertising
Clearly this much bad behavior is a warning for marketers: not everything is as it seems.
What does this have to do with AI?
AI will only care about what it is told to care about.
That means clients will need to be able to trust the masters of the AI. Since people will oversee the objectives that AI tools are programmed to achieve, marketers need to be able to trust the people overseeing those objectives. For example, imagine a world where an agency’s AI machines are set to:
1. Maximize profit on principal media, or
2. Maximize profit on bundled, non-transparent data charges, or
3. Maximize profit per client engagement rather than client success
Sadly, none of the above would shock me. And the above are just a small handful of the potential ways that AI could be used in non-transparent ways to deliver greater profit to an agency.
Marketers need to be on guard and agencies need to be clear and upfront about how they are using AI.
Steve Boehler, founder, and partner at Mercer Island Group has led consulting teams on behalf of clients as diverse as Ulta Beauty, Microsoft, UScellular, Nintendo, Kaiser Permanente, Holland America Line, Stop & Shop, Qualcomm, Brooks Running, and numerous others. He founded MIG after serving as a division president in a Fortune 100 when he was only 32. Earlier in his career, Steve Boehler cut his teeth with a decade in Brand Management at Procter & Gamble, leading brands like Tide, Pringles, and Jif.
Mercer Island Group helps marketers and agencies succeed. Company leadership is as much at home with marketers and their C-Suites as in an agency’s boardroom. With marketers, Mercer Island Group is a top 5 agency search consultancy covering all types of agency relationships (creative, media, web, PR, experiential) and assists marketers with marketing organization structure, workflow and critical skill development (briefing, creative evaluation & feedback, etc.). The company also supports leading and aspiring agencies with positioning, pitch and strategy training and pitch support.