I originally drew a version of this cartoon before the AI boom. ChatGPT launched three years ago this week, and completely changed the trajectory of the decade.
(The original panel I drew for the 2020s involved the metaverse, which already seems so dated.)
It’s a good reminder things are always in flux in marketing. And yet, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
We are apt to focus more on tactics than on strategy. I like how Mark Ritson describes this as “tactification”:
“Tactification means the almost total obsession with execution that afflicts most marketers and comes at the expense of a broader, deeper grasp of the discipline.”
Marketers all have access to the same tools, techniques, and tactics. The real game changer comes from starting with a solid strategy and then figuring out what tactics make sense to execute that strategy.
This is acutely true in figuring out how to approach AI.
I like how Tom Goodwin framed it this week:
“I don’t want more AI, I want better products and services in a world where AI makes spectacular things possible.”
Here are a few related cartoons I’ve drawn over the years:
