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Two Leap Group network subject matter experts were featured in regional business journals this month to share insights on industry trends, artificial intelligence, and agency offerings.
Rashmi Hurst, director of digital experience at (human)x, spoke with Lisa Benson from Louisville Business First. Joel Warneke, co-founder and -president of (matter), spoke with Jamie Smith from Cincinnati Business Courier.
The two covered a lot of ground. Here are the top four things we learned from their Q&As.
Lesson #1: Analytics are a top concern for clients today.
Hurst and Warneke are experienced in their niches. They’ve seen trends cycle through the industry, while some have stayed. For Hurst, interest in analytics was a growing interest that has cemented itself as a staple of digital marketing.
“In my previous roles within (human)x, I was very much in an analytics capacity. And over the past couple of years, I have really seen analytics grow from an add-on the clients are looking forward to, to the main show,” Hurst said.
Analytics is the concrete way of measuring progress and success. Brands don’t just launch new campaigns and hope for the best. They want to track performance and optimize their messaging to maximize success.
“Ultimately, everything that we take to market for our clients, none of it matters if it doesn’t work,” Hurst said. “Focusing on what’s working, what isn’t working, how can we be more nimble in addressing performance and marketing results transparently to our clients has become paramount, especially post-pandemic and as we navigate the climate today.”
Lesson #2: AI is here to stay — and those who aren’t getting on board now are being left behind.
Of all the industry trends now, Hurst and Warneke agree that AI is the hottest topic.
“Everybody’s talking about AI,” Warneke said. “You can’t get on LinkedIn or watch the news without hearing about AI.”
They also agree that, in their experience, AI, machine learning, and automation are more than a passing trend. AI has the potential to be an industry mainstay.
“It’s here to stay,” Warneke said. “I think there are a lot of people who are afraid of what that looks like in the future. But for us, we’re embracing it. It’s helping us in our workflow ideation, how we concept things. We’re really tapping into things like Midjourney to create images that help set the tone for the visual expression of a brand. ChatGPT helps fill in a lot of gaps for us, but we still need to take that output in and take it to the next level.”
While some in the industry have reservations about using AI, Warneke, Hurst, and the Leap Group network are embracing the growing technology.
“I think those who are reluctant and not kind of jumping in are going to get left behind,” Warneke said. “We’re a technology-based company. We’re always looking for new and innovative ways to change our process and AI is just one more tool in our toolbox to use.”
Lesson #3: AI is only as powerful as the person behind it.
It’s clear that machine learning, automation, and AI are helping to revolutionize the way marketers approach their profession.
“AI is changing rapidly,” Hurst said. “Every single day, there is a new iteration of a platform that has launched, and we are left having to keep up to speed with what’s coming to market.”
Some marketers are even wondering if certain roles will be obsolete with the exponential growth of chatbots and machine learning. While it’s clear that AI is changing the industry, Leap Group believes AI is best used as a tool, not as a replacement for human expertise.
“I think all of the GPT-4 technology and marketing automation that has come to play is only as good as the human that’s behind it,” Hurst said. “At (human)x, we have started to hire what we call ‘prompt engineers.’ When we think about how we can control the narrative, the messaging, the outcome we’re looking for, we’ve really invested in that prompt engineering aspects so that we’re training the models to get the results that we want.”
Lesson #4: Marketing agencies need to be flexible and adaptable to succeed.
When looking for a marketing agency, clients want specialists, but they don’t want to go to an excess of vendors to realize their vision piece by piece. They want a one-stop shop, but they don’t want to sacrifice quality with generalists.
“Clients are really looking for specialization, and to be able to customize an agency based on their needs,” Warneke said. “That’s how Leap Group is set up.”
The Leap Group network is made up of four specialized agencies: digital marketing with (human)x, branding and design with (matter), production with (spark), and media and search with (amp). When a client works with one agency, it’s easy to pull in specialists from across the network when the need arises.
“If they come through the (matter) door to engage us on a branding project, their needs change and they need a website, we’re able to bring in those subject matter experts from elsewhere in the Leap Group team to help our client down that pathway,” Warneke said. “If they don’t need those services, we don’t have to turn that capability on. It’s a very flexible and customized approach that our clients have responded to.”
This interest in flexibility has been amplified by issues of economic uncertainty in the last few years. Brands want to maximize the value of their spending by getting what they want, when they want it, without any unnecessary expenses.
“A lot of clients are moving away from that agency of record (AOR), big agency model, where they are buying stuff that they don’t necessarily need,” Warneke said.
Executive Insights with Leap Group
Analytics, AI, and agency flexibility were just the beginnings of Hurst’s and Warneke’s conversations with Cincinnati and Louisville business journals. Recaps of each interview can be found on the (human)x and (matter) blogs.
To watch Rashmi Hurst’s full Q&A, visit Louisville Business First.
To watch Joel Warneke’s full Q&A, visit Cincinnati Business Courier.
To learn more about Leap Group’s flexible business model and AI offerings, visit our website or contact us for a consultation.
Market Less. Matter More.