Core42's Ashley Rite writes on AI, personalisation and smarter marketing.Marketing with AI, for AI, and by AI; this is the new reality. Every campaign we run, every message we personalise, and every insight we extract is increasingly shaped by AI data, tools, content, agents, solutions and more.
The efficiency gains we once sought – automating tasks, streamlining workflows, have now evolved into intelligence gains. AI doesn’t just optimise our processes; it sharpens our strategies, uncovers hidden opportunities, and accelerates decision-making.
Yet, in this race toward AI-powered marketing, one truth remains: complexity is the enemy of impact. The explosion of digital channels, tools, and data sources has provided marketers with unprecedented opportunities to engage audiences. However, this expansion has also introduced challenges – fragmented workflows, rising costs, and an overwhelming number of platforms that can slow down decision-making and hinder agility.
To truly harness AI’s potential, we must simplify our tech stacks, integrate seamlessly, and focus on what matters most – delivering meaningful customer and customisable experiences.
The challenge of a fragmented tech stack
The proliferation of marketing tools has created a paradox: while each solution is designed to solve a specific problem, too many disconnected solutions create inefficiency instead of solving it.
Marketers today rely on multiple platforms for customer relationship management (CRM), content creation, social media, analytics, and campaign management, leading to data silos and inconsistencies, preventing AI from reaching its full potential.
Disjointed systems can make it difficult to gain a comprehensive view of the customer journey. The real challenge isn’t adopting AI; it’s ensuring AI is deeply embedded in a streamlined system that enables marketing teams to act on insights without friction.
Centralising marketing operations through cloud-based platforms, intelligent automation, and API-driven integrations can bridge these gaps and provide a unified, data-driven strategy.
Leveraging AI for smarter marketing
AI is playing an increasingly significant role in simplifying tech stacks, but it should not be viewed as a standalone solution. AI-powered agents and solutions can enhance marketing operations by automating thousands of repetitive tasks, optimize campaigns, analysing vast amounts of data in real-time, and providing predictive insights that guide strategic decision-making.
For example, AI-driven predictive analytics can consolidate data from multiple sources, offering a 360-degree view of customer behaviour. This allows marketers to make informed decisions on content strategy, customer engagement, and budget allocation. AI-powered content generation isn’t just about automation; it’s about hyper-personalised storytelling that scales. Dynamic media-buying tools don’t just place ads; they adjust spending and creative in real time based on performance, reducing waste and improving ROI instantly.
However, AI is most effective when integrated into a well-structured marketing ecosystem. Rather than relying solely on AI agents, businesses should adopt a broader approach that combines automation, data-driven insights, and human creativity to optimise marketing performance.
Optimising personalisation at scale
Personalisation has long been the holy grail of marketing, but for years, it was limited by the sheer effort required to execute it well.
I remember when creating a personalised campaign meant months, if not years of work. We’d manually segment audiences, develop multiple content variations, and painstakingly schedule individual touchpoints across channels. It was time-consuming, resource-intensive, and, in many cases, still fell short of true personalisation.
Now, AI doesn’t just recommend content—it creates, optimises, and delivers it dynamically, reducing creative bottlenecks. AI at scale eliminates the need for excessive manual intervention, allowing marketing teams to focus on creative strategy rather than execution.
Beyond AI agents, automation platforms can streamline content distribution, ensuring that messaging reaches the right audience through the most effective channels. CRM integrations can further enhance engagement by centralising customer data and enabling more meaningful interactions. By prioritising interoperability, marketers can build a tech stack that facilitates personalised experiences at scale without unnecessary complexity.
Building a future-ready marketing ecosystem
The future of marketing is not about adopting the latest tool but about creating a cohesive, adaptable ecosystem that supports long-term growth.
A strategic approach to tech stack optimisation involves identifying core needs by assessing which tools add value and eliminating redundant or underutilised solutions. Enhancing integration ensures that platforms communicate seamlessly to avoid data discrepancies and inefficiencies. Fostering collaboration between marketing and IT teams is crucial for implementing solutions that enhance agility and performance.
Additionally, adopting scalable solutions allows businesses to choose technologies that can grow with them and evolve alongside consumer expectations.
In fact, just last month, the world’s first full-time AI marketing employee was introduced. The AI-powered social media manager research trends, creates videos, and learns from successful content strategies. While it is still too early to gauge the long-term effectiveness of such offerings, it is not difficult to imagine that in just a few years, AI-driven roles like this will become commonplace in marketing teams.
In 2024, Microsoft introduced Azure AI Agent Service, a managed platform designed to enhance automation and streamline business processes. Core42 is integrating this service into Compass, our managed AI platform, to help enterprises harness AI more effectively. This integration will enable businesses to connect seamlessly with diverse data sources, making AI more actionable and impactful.
The future of marketing belongs to those who scale intelligently. It’s not about adding AI; it’s about making AI work harder for you and having a team who collaborates with the tools at our hands seamlessly. The brands that get this right won’t just be more efficient; they’ll be more impactful, more responsive, and more deeply connected to their customers than ever before.
By Ashley Rite, Senior Vice President – Marketing & Communications at Core42, a G42 company.
