Truth to Marketers: AI is a tool, not THE solution

Capable professionals know AI is a tool to aid solving problems. Alone it is not a solution.

Our previous post urged fellow marketers to “get over” the artificial intelligence (AI) hype. To stop thinking it’s all about “disruptive,” high-tech tools on the bleeding edges of the frontier. The VR goggles. The eye-tracking studies. The neuroscience applications.

Yes, there are plenty of far edges out there, and we’re often leading them for our clients from the edge into the everyday. But look, today, AI is disruptive only if you didn’t see it coming years ago. It’s now hanging out in the research tool shed with longtime favorites like (examples?)

So now, as fellow alert, thinking researchers, let’s agree, emphatically, that AI is a tool. A super tool, in fact, like a swiss army knife–which cuts, carves, pierces, screws, unscrews, uncorks, lights up, and will probably become a portable internet hotspot.

But in the end, a wonderfully multidimensional, customizable tool.

What AI is Not

We see some of our competitors positioning AI as a methodology, that is, a fixed, replicable process. We see commentary that suggests AI is a service, like a web portal builder. And we see AI positioned as the solution to whatever problem is to hand.

None of the above. AI = tool. Remember when punch cards were ubiquitous, the only game in town? Was that perforated card the solution? Yes, creating that data storage technology writ large was a solution writ large. But not one of the zillion punch cards fielded was the solution to anything.

AI is like that–a tool and a means to analyze data that can deliver profound, positive insights in the right hands.

From Pain Point(s) to Sweet Spot(s)

Not a single one of our past or current clients came to us saying “I’m looking for an AI solution.”
We hope more will do so as marketers follow our lead in de-hyping AI– and turn to us as trusted providers.

But for the moment, AI “shopping” isn’t how it happens, nor do we expect that. A small percentage of prospective clients approach us to learn about AI generally, and we’re happy to teach. But most early stage conversations don’t, and shouldn’t, have anything to do with AI.

They should be about the client’s pain point, e.g., “I don’t have enough customers.” And about how our development team can help you get more.

If we use AI to build the analysis model or application/product that hits the solution sweet spots, the client often doesn’t know until later.

So depending on the pain point, solutions we can offer could involve:

• AI-backed retail shelf allocation product (reconfigures store shelves to optimize profit; Walmart uses this)
• AI-backed product recommendation engine (Amazon-like application “if you bought X, you’ll like Y.”
• AI-backed product to more accurately determine which candidate is going to win an election
• AI-backed product to determine which advertising message is most likely to produce the reaction we want from a segment of the public.

We have clients currently deploying the solutions above. Consider these along with a stellar list of past clients and it’s not a bad decade’s work for a lean team like us.

We’ll be glad to walk you through our research on the promises these and more of our AI-backed solutions. Breakthrough insights await.

Visit our website at Cascade Strategies or call us at (425) 677-7430 to see how we solve data intensive marketing challenges for brands like yours.