Last week, we hosted our first Humankind Global Recruitment marketing leaders' roundtable event in Manchester. This exciting gathering brought together some of the brightest minds from a diverse range of industries. Among our esteemed guests were Carly Unsworth from Thrive, Ben Bowden from Seed Architects, Louise Ray from Precision Card Services, Shaun Cook from Domu Brands, and Sam Sharp from Agriconnect.
The focal point of our discussion?
The ever-pervasive role of AI in marketing and our daily lives, both at home and in the workplace.
The role and integration of AI in modern marketing strategies.
Overcoming the challenges of converting social media engagement into tangible sales.
Strategies for marketing to bolster ongoing customer retention.
Techniques for aligning and engaging departments that traditionally overlook the importance of marketing.
Best practices for maximising the productivity of employees, especially those new to the workforce.
BRIEF History of AI
The roots of AI can be traced back to the early 1950s, starting with Alan Turing's seminal paper, ‘Computing Machinery and Intelligence,’ which posed the question, ‘Can machines think?’ Turing's "Imitation Game" laid foundational concepts that Arthur Samuel built upon in 1952 by developing a program capable of playing checkers autonomously—the first of its kind. More than seven decades later, AI's integration into our daily routines is profound and largely seamless, influencing aspects of life we often take for granted.
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
Our guests offered varied insights on the topic. Ben Bowden observed that, “AI is being mentioned everywhere at the moment and I think that creates a fear of the unknown for some people.” He further added, “I feel that for most people, we are still at a stage of experimenting and trying to work out how AI can speed up existing processes.” Ben also remarked on the impact of social pressure, especially on the younger demographic: “People work best when they feel valued. I think social media puts a lot of pressure on people, particularly younger people to constantly be progressing and living a certain lifestyle.”
Sam Sharp provided a practical perspective, sharing that “AI has been an essential tool for our commercial marketing team to use for B2B prospecting, tools such as Prospect Pal have broken down the intense workload and allowed us to increase campaign interactions.” She emphasised the careful use of AI, “The key to succeeding with AI within your marketing team is producing guidelines to ensure there is no reputational risk for your business. Guiding teams on how to use AI as a tool to inspire rather than a tool to complete so that content still has that human touch that connects with your audience.”
Louise Ray noted the widespread discussion of AI within the marketing sector, with tools like ChatGPT often coming to the forefront. However, she pointed out that “AI has already become a hot topic within many industries, and marketing is no exception! Although Chat GPT seems to be what springs to mind when someone mentions AI, it was clear from our relatively short discussion on the topic that there are so many more AI platforms out there, offering ways to enhance sales and marketing efforts. I am particularly interested to see how these manifests over time, and what becomes the norm in terms of acceptance of its use.”
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
The event proved to be an enlightening session, sparking an open dialogue about the crucial role of team development and progression within the workplace. The insights shared on employee retention strategies were insightful fostering a dynamic exchange of innovative ideas and practices that attendees could take back to their respective fields. As we anticipate our next roundtable, the discussions and insights from this event will undoubtedly shape our ongoing engagement with marketing's evolving landscape.