What’s the scoop on AI? TL;DR: Embrace it.
The verdict is in. AI is an enabler, not the enemy. All our Modern Mentorship: Young Lions subjects agreed (scroll for more info on the full series after the break)!
From a communications and marketing standpoint, businesses must leverage AI to ensure they are showing up in the right places (and on the right search engines). AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) is a rapidly emerging category and redefining search behavior. Below are quick tips to increase brand visibility.
The press release isn’t dead. Is AI reading your press release? Models treat press releases as a key source, so writing for algorithms matters as much as writing for people.
Owned content matters. Keep your owned content fresh (i.e., blog posts and company pages) to appear in searches more frequently. Focus on clarity, stay on brand, and highlight key differentiators.
Trade coverage reigns supreme! Media coverage, especially in industry publications, boosts credibility and is highly valued by AI search algorithms.
Staying agile is key. We adapt fast, think ahead, and make sure our clients show up in the right way, at the right time, to effectively connect with audiences in an ever-evolving landscape.
Looking for support to make this happen? Get in touch.
– Tiffany Guarnaccia, CEO & Founder
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Modern Mentorship: Young Lions
Get ready to dive deep into the world of creative excellence. The Modern Mentorship: Young Lions series is designed specifically for aspiring creatives heading to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
Binge the entire series and gain invaluable insights from industry leaders on our website and YouTube.
Each advisor brings a unique perspective on mentorship and navigating the creative industry. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from the best!
Amy Tunick, Chief Marketing Officer, NCM, and the US Representative to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity: “Staying in touch and networking with individuals you meet every step along the way of your career. Finding ways to keep checking in with people that you really enjoyed working with or that inspired you. Those authentic relationships will last a lifetime.”
Jo Cronk, Co-CEO, Whalar: “How you achieve an outcome is more important than the outcome that you’ve achieved. A win is a win, but a win is so much sweeter when the whole team has been involved. How we achieve our goals is very important.”
Walter Geer, Chief Creative Officer, Innovation North America | VML: “Always be you. Never coward down. Always walk into every room with your head held high. The more senior you get in a creative role, the more your job becomes about selling. Learn and understand how to sell, how to present, how to pitch and how to talk. That is so critical. Our job at creatives is to elicit emotion, make someone feel a particular way. It’s not good enough to have a kick-ass product or thing, it’s all in how we sell the story around it that drives and inspires individuals.”
Jill Lyons, SVP, Creative Operations, Maximum Effort: “Stay curious. Oftentimes, we get pigeonholed, we think ‘I have this job and I need this job’. This is the title I’m going after, or this is the step I need to get to next. Or I need that perfect person who can just tell me how to do it or how to make it in this system. And when you open your curiosity and start to say, ‘wait a minute, I see that this is the title that I want or the next right move at this organization, but what does that look like if I translate it to a different passion of mine? Is there an ancillary or adjacent path that might also have something interesting to it?’ I might find myself down a path I didn’t know was available to me.”
Stacy DeRiso, US CEO, Initiative: “Advice I’d give to my younger self… Choose the clients or brands you work with wisely, they are a reflection of your own values and who you are. Think about that. What do I want to represent? What do I want to represent me? Another piece, it’s a small world and a small industry, so be kind. And the last piece of advice I’d give is trust your gut.”
Harsh Kapadia, Chief Creative Officer, Grey: “Embrace it [AI]… AI is not going to replace our jobs, it will evolve our jobs… At the end of the day, the A stands for Artificial. It still won’t allow you to replace human intelligence but treat it more like your partner.”