Is Authentic Brand Strategy Possible in the Age of AI?
Brand strategy is ever evolving, shaped not only by changes in methodologies and available management tools, but also reflecting broader technological and societal changes. Far from being monolithic, it encompasses multiple disciplines, combining scientific rigor in analyzing fields and actors while requiring artistic vision to create unique expressions that have emotional and cognitive impact, all connected through craftsmanship for impactful execution. As we stand at the beginning of a transformative era, with Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) potentially becoming a reality within years, all of the above is going to change and the question of how AI will reshape brand strategy becomes more pressing.
For authentic brand strategy, these considerations are particularly compelling, as the implementation of AI may seem at odds with a focus on authenticity that prioritizes genuine connections by aligning company values and consumer product experiences with all brand communications. Most AI applications today enable marketing departments to achieve quick productivity gains by optimizing existing processes, such as AI-assisted ideation, research, or mockups. These improvements accelerate operational outcomes without fundamentally altering what is possible. They might require new competencies and team structures but do not address strategic considerations focused on the brand’s essence or authenticity. However, there are areas of AI integration that are seen to directly impact the core of brand identity:
The potential of AI-driven copywriting has captured the imagination of many, not only for business writing. Current experiments often reveal AI's limitations in maintaining a consistent tone and capturing nuanced identity markers crucial for expressing a distinctive brand personality. As large companies rely on teams of copywriters guided by voice guidelines, expressing a brand through copywriting is as much an art as a managerial task. While AI may not yet excel at executing a consistent tone of voice, it can be invaluable in analyzing existing expressions to create comprehensive guidelines for both human and future AI use, ensuring a unified voice.
Hyper-personalized marketing messages already drive significant traffic for many e-commerce businesses. AI promises an unprecedented level of personalization, considering a broader spectrum of consumer behavior to determine optimal contact strategies and message design. This near-infinite flexibility requires a clear definition of which brand elements to automate, which must be firmly rooted in its core identity. AI can help not only in defining the brand identity but also in ensuring its correct application.
The brand purpose represents one of the most challenging areas for brands to navigate consistently. It is no coincidence that in a global economy seemingly more tolerant of diverse viewpoints, many large companies converge on articulating similar value sets. Managing a consistent brand purpose across an organization demands not only cultural sensitivity but emotional intelligence to navigate high-stakes terrain. AI can ensure consistency by monitoring all brand communications, helping to align them with the brand purpose across markets and channels.
None of these examples, while touching the core of brands and being ripe with opportunities for deep AI integration, eliminate the need for a human-led combination of art, science, and craft that is central to brand strategy. All of them show how AI can make brands more effective, by accomplishing tasks at a higher level of quality. While increasing the opportunities for brands significantly, none of this changes the fundamental requirements for authenticity to foster more genuine connections and cut through the noise to stand out amidst the already existing "sea of sameness" that will most certainly increase due to misguided AI implementations. Authenticity serves as the cornerstone for defining a brand's uniqueness, ensuring that as AI capabilities grow, the brand's core identity remains clear, consistent, and uniquely human — whether in tone of voice, brand identity, or brand purpose.
AI capabilities are expanding rapidly, with advancements occurring almost weekly. Imminent increases in processing power will enable AI to handle diverse modalities beyond text and numbers more efficiently, potentially integrating more creative tasks. Organizations must prepare now for this shifting landscape. Codifying the defining elements of a brand through comprehensive guidelines not only empowers organizations to execute more consistently now but also lays the groundwork for effective AI integration in the future.
AI and authentic brand strategy are not mutually exclusive. For AI to be used strategically beyond improving productivity, it must be closely connected to what makes a brand unique. Authentic brand strategy provides this connection by focusing on product experiences and company values that set the brand apart. On the other hand, AI empowers authentic brand strategy by facilitating comprehensive brand understanding and management. The strategic imperative for sustainable growth rests in the synergistic combination of AI's analytical power with human-led authenticity.