Content & Media Systems
25 Minute
Is AI marketing not working? The key lies not in the tool, but in the mindset.
From automated chat messages to large-scale personalization strategies, AI marketing is gradually reshaping how brands communicate with the world. Beyond saving time and costs, AI promises an era of intelligent marketing – where data is limitless and deployment can happen in the blink of an eye.
However, amidst this massive trend of AI adoption, many businesses are still grappling with the question: despite being supported from A to Z by this cutting-edge technology, why haven’t they been able to create breakthrough value, specifically in marketing?
Let’s re-evaluate this issue with Wisdom Agency in the article below.
What is AI marketing that everyone wants to do, but not everyone does it well?
By definition, AI is the application of artificial intelligence to marketing activities, from content production and process automation to strategy development support. AI technology is also known for its ability to optimize performance, saving a significant amount of time and costs. Therefore, leveraging AI in marketing is rapidly becoming a trend pursued by many businesses.
Despite high expectations, Wisdom Agency recognizes several challenges that organizations often encounter when applying AI in marketing. These challenges mainly stem from the following issues:
1. The proposed content lacks creativity and uniqueness: AI-generated results tend to be repetitive, lacking diversity and depth. When applied to media such as Facebook posts, outdoor billboards, etc., monotonous content and images without a clear message will make it difficult for brands to make an impression on customers.
2. AI-suggested marketing strategies often fail to align with brand direction: AI-generated strategies are often based on superficial data, sometimes failing to connect with the deeper emotional meaning associated with the brand. As a result, implementation activities can be disjointed, incoherent, or convey inappropriate messages. Campaigns are therefore less effective, and in some cases, even receive negative public reaction.
AI marketing – seemingly easy to implement, but difficult to truly master.
3. Shortcomings in customer interaction: Due to limitations in empathy, AI responses sometimes create a sense of distance for customers. For example, AI chatbots often cannot handle everyday language or address real-world needs, causing users to lose patience and trust in the service.
4. Lack of understanding of trend nature and cultural context: AI can predict trends based on keywords or social media data, but struggles to grasp cultural nuances or real-world context. For example, AI might suggest a business join the “pet cafe” trend without recognizing the risk that the brand could easily be criticized as a place that “exploits or abuses animals” due to ethical issues related to this field.
All of these limitations not only affect the effectiveness of individual marketing campaigns, but can also cause long-term damage to revenue and brand reputation.
AI only understands a fraction of the richness of human nature.
Why the application of AI in marketing has not yet yielded truly effective results.
So, where does the problem lie? Is it simply in the prompts, the type of AI marketing tools, or even the AI ”package” the organization is using?
In reality, the factors mentioned above are just the tip of the iceberg. The core issue lies in our own perception of AI and its role:
AI is merely a tool; human intelligence is the key to maximizing the power of technology and is irreplaceable.
AI learns and provides solutions based on available data. But it is humans who create that data. Unlike AI, humans not only possess information but also have thinking, intuition, and emotions – the foundations for synthesizing and evaluating information, creating unique and innovative solutions. This is also the key factor determining the success of any business.
Take OMO’s “Getting Dirty Brings Hope” campaign as an example. AI can scan trending keywords like “going home” or “Tet reunion” to suggest campaigns supporting workers returning home. But if it only relies on data, the campaign will likely lack emotion and depth.
However, OMO went further: they didn’t just follow trends, but also touched the deepest emotions of migrant workers. From images of hardship and struggle for survival to the yearning for reunion, OMO transformed real-life materials into a series of emotionally charged activities: the music video “Mom’s Coming Home,” the message “Getting Dirty Sows Hope,” and even bus tickets carrying the hope of family reunion. The brand even used AI to organize a photo contest, contributing to spreading the humanitarian spirit of the campaign. All of this was built on a clear strategic foundation and the team’s deep understanding of Vietnamese culture.
OMO and its campaign combining artificial intelligence and human insights in marketing.
While AI yields similar results, we can see that units capable of effectively evaluating, adapting, and utilizing information will make a significant difference compared to those that cannot.
Therefore, to better apply AI in marketing, the prerequisite is not technical skills or technology, but a solid foundation of human intelligence. The ability to think accurately is a powerful competitive advantage – not only for leveraging technology but also for being flexible, creative, and able to cope with unpredictable challenges in reality. In other words, only with a strong foundation of human intelligence can one “win the times.”
This is also the fundamental philosophy that Wisdom Agency consistently pursues. The name “Wisdom”—symbolizing wisdom, the ability to understand and apply knowledge at the right time—reflects our core development direction as a strategic marketing partner. At Wisdom Agency, we focus on holistic human development, with knowledge as the root and mindset as the starting point for all sustainable strategies.
Building a marketing strategy starts with mindset.
With unwavering belief in knowledge and the philosophy of “Strong intellect – Victorious times” (a solid foundation of knowledge and humanistic thinking is the key to long-term development), Wisdom Agency accompanies businesses in enhancing their competitiveness through systematic and highly applicable strategic consulting solutions.
One typical effort is the application of case-solving models inherited from international organizations such as Landor, along with methodologies derived from multidisciplinary practical experience, to ensure that the implementation process is always aligned with the context and long-term goals.
Furthermore, acting as a bridge between academia and practical business, Wisdom Agency partners with businesses to better adapt to the globalized environment – while contributing to connecting local intellectual values to the international expert community in a professional and systematic way.
Wisdom Agency places knowledge and people at the center of its digital age.
Reflecting on our core beliefs, Wisdom Agency proactively builds a team with a strong mindset to create and master all solutions, including technology. We don’t deny the power of AI, but choose to combine human analytical capabilities with the processing power of AI tools to enhance service quality and better serve our clients. The team at Wisdom also continuously hones their skills in applying artificial intelligence in marketing. For example:
- The Content team uses tools like Grok, Chat GPT, and Quillbot to find inspiration, get ideas for wordplay, understand the thinking and behavior of the target audience, and proofread for spelling errors, etc.
- Planners use Perplexity and Chat GPT to gather information/data, search for market/industry reports, etc.
- Artists/Designers use Adobe AI and Freepik AI for quick visual illustration, video flow presentation, and to simplify complex refinement processes in design techniques.
And thanks to its inherent intellectual potential, Wisdom Agency has been able to unlock fundamental thinking – from which it has distilled unique analytical models that play a crucial role in systematically solving challenging business problems.
With three core strategic models, Wisdom Agency has partnered with numerous organizations to overcome diverse and complex marketing strategy barriers. As a result, Edutalk – one of Vietnam’s leading educational ecosystems – achieved a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 40% in just three years. Meanwhile, Vietnam Airlines, the leading airline in the Vietnamese market, also witnessed a 20-fold increase in loyal customers thanks to a shift in its customer care strategy.
