Which campaign tasks should we automate first?

The first campaign tasks to automate are rote, repetitive activities that drain time without demanding original imagination or a high-stakes judgement call. Generative AI is strongest when it takes repetitive work off human plates, creating more room for people to explore ideas, understand audiences and make sharper creative decisions.

That means starting small rather than treating automation as an all-or-nothing campaign overhaul. A narrow use case is easier to understand, test and improve. It also makes it clearer where AI is genuinely helping and where it is creating generic-sounding content, tone drift or extra editing work.

Brand voice, emotional resonance and distinctiveness need more than fluent output. They need people who understand the audience, the business and the idea worth saying.

The most useful campaign automation solves one clear customer need while supporting one clear business goal. Small AI can learn from user inputs, summarise what matters and craft a response that is better tuned to the person's need. That makes it a practical place to begin with personalisation and customisation.

Choose one or two areas where the campaign experience could be more helpful than anyone else's. Build around that opportunity, then measure whether the output helps people understand, engage or act. Small AI projects can be developed and deployed quickly, making them a more achievable test than a large-scale transformation programme.

The point is not to add AI for its own sake. The point is to make a campaign experience more useful, more relevant and more recognisably aligned with the brand.

Human review should remain part of any campaign workflow where accuracy, brand alignment and creative quality matter. AI can produce a useful starting point, but access to a generative tool does not create quality output on its own. The strongest result comes from combining hands-on tool knowledge with professional expertise.

Set quality gates before anything becomes commercially publishable. Check whether the work reflects the brand's values, meets the audience's real needs and adds something original rather than simply recombining familiar patterns. Give experts responsibility for the final call, especially when a campaign needs a surprising idea, a nuanced message or a human emotional connection.

AI is a collaborator, not a substitute for judgement. That is how campaign teams gain speed without making every message look and sound the same.

We believe the best campaign automation starts with a small, useful challenge, not a grand promise to replace creative work. AI can help teams move faster, personalise experiences and reduce repetitive effort. But brand strategy, imagination and expert judgement still make the difference between output that is merely competent and work that people remember.

We have established a working group to experiment with generative AI tools and assess where they can help clients and their customers. We have also developed and launched small AI projects designed around customer inputs, business goals and greater customisation. When choosing a partner, look for people who can connect prompting and technology with genuine brand, audience and creative expertise.