AI in marketing communications:
A look at how we're using it today, and where it's going
AI has rapidly moved from an experimental technology to a necessity in marketing communications.
Beyond the widely used platforms that are now commonplace in many agencies and marketing departments—ChatGPT perhaps being the most prominent—there is an ever-expanding array of AI solutions, tools, and applications competing for marketers' attention, and their budgets.
The pace of AI's advance in the marketing communications realm is both exciting and overwhelming. And one thing is clear: it's not going to slow down anytime soon.
On the whole, these tools unquestionably represent some of the most transformative technologies we’ve ever encountered—on par with the introduction of the smartphone or the search engine. And yet we are still in the earliest stages of this new era.
Why we created this report
We believe AI will become further entrenched as a vital resource for both agencies and marketers, and our goal is to be a leader in it—producing work that is accelerated by AI and strategically supporting our clients through AI adoption and empowerment. But this vision is not without its challenges, as AI has introduced a wide array of issues that must be thoughtfully considered and carefully navigated.
That’s why we’ve put together this report: to provide transparency around our use of AI today, the principles that guide our work, the vision we’re pursuing, and—perhaps most importantly—how we are mitigating the risks posed by a rapidly growing and not-yet-widely understood technology that is rewriting the playbook for modern marketing.
This report is the first of what will become an annual series, as we intend to publish a new edition each year to document how our practices and perspectives evolve.
How we're using AI today
We use AI actively across our agency to support research, strategy, and operations. Current applications include:
Content Development and Editing
Research, brainstorming, idea expansion, summarization, optimization for tone and accuracy, improving clarity, style, and grammar, and ensuring audience alignment.
SEO & Analytics
Keyword research, metadata generation, schema guidance, technical audits, and user intent analysis.
Creative Assistance
Selective use of embedded AI in design tools (e.g., background removal, simple mockups, storyboarding). While generative image AI has improved, it remains unreliable for our standards, so we continue to rely primarily on human designers. We occasionally license AI-generated stock images and artwork where appropriate.
Client Operations and Customer Engagement
Building and incorporating chatbots, wikis, knowledge bases, and interactive content widgets.
Internal Workflow & Automation
File organization, meeting notes, auto-responses to web forms, and other efficiency gains that streamline repetitive processes.
Emerging Solutions
Ongoing testing of AI tools for landing page creation, voiceovers, video, animation, and other production needs.
Our approach to AI ethics and training
We believe AI must be used responsibly, transparently, and ethically. To that end, Strong maintains a structured governance process:
Continual Dialogue
We conduct regular, agency-wide sessions on ethical and effective AI use, as well as project-level discussions to review how we can best incorporate AI to help drive efficiency while ensuring output of the highest quality.
Best-Practice Alignment
Our AI practices are guided by standards and recommendations from industry bodies such as the Institute for Advertising Ethics (IAE), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), and the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), professional periodicals such as Forbes as well as AI governance policies in use at leading universities such as Stanford University, Harvard Business School, and Washington State University.
Professional Development
Our team members participate in coursework and certification programs on generative AI content creation, prompt engineering, AI analytics, and emerging agent systems.
Balancing AI efficiency with human expertise
At Strong, AI has not replaced jobs, nor do we see it as a substitute for human creativity and strategy. In fact, as we grow, we expect to add more people to our team—especially those with fluency in AI, creativity, and marketing strategy.
For clients, AI expands what’s possible: greater speed, efficiency, and breadth of capabilities. But we caution against the belief that great work can now simply be kicked out instantly. These tools are powerful, but the hype around them often creates unrealistic expectations.
Marketers are being told that content and creative can be produced endlessly at the push of a button, but in reality, the demands of accuracy, originality, brand consistency, and compliance are significant—and often underestimated.
This is where human expertise remains essential. AI may accelerate aspects of production, but it cannot replace the judgment, creativity, and strategic insight that experienced professionals bring. In fact, these skills are more valuable than ever, because they ensure that AI is used responsibly and effectively.
At Strong, we continue to apply the same core talents and skills that have driven client success for more than two decades, while augmenting them with smart, responsible AI practices. The result is work that is original, unique, creative, compliant, and brand-appropriate—delivered with greater efficiency than was possible before.
Looking ahead: our AI vision
We see AI as an amplifier of original knowledge—not a replacement for it. For a brand, channeling and preparing such knowledge the right way, and ensuring that AI outputs are derived from the correct inputs, requires both brand-level expertise as well as high technical acumen. Our proprietary model for this is called Strong CPUs: Content Processing Units™.
Just as a computer’s CPU processes instructions into useful outputs, the technical solutions we're developing function as client-specific hubs of original knowledge—transforming human-generated insights, research, and strategy into AI-enabled outputs across many channels. This approach ensures that content is grounded in authenticity while benefiting from the efficiency and scalability AI provides.
Our goal is to help clients build these hubs, enabling them to systemize their marketing in ways that create more work, better work, and stronger business outcomes.
Looking ahead: marketing AI in 2026 and beyond
In the coming year and beyond, we expect AI in marketing communications to gradually shift from experimental, cherry-picked applications and single-purpose user tools to a more integrated component of marketing infrastructure—connecting nearly every marketing platform and workflow.
Agentic AI will be the catalyst that makes this shift possible, and it is already proving its capabilities in a number of important marketing functions, such as chatbots with decision-making capabilities, real-time media campaign optimizations, and automated management of marketing emails.
Much like other AI innovations, the growing capabilities around agentic AI will create both widespread opportunities and efficiencies, as well as new challenges and risks. Our role will be to help clients use these innovations strategically, ethically, and effectively, ensuring that human insight and creativity remain at the core.
Closing thoughts
AI is reshaping marketing faster than many of us may be comfortable with, but it's a reality that every marketing professional must lean into.
At Strong, our commitment is to harness AI responsibly, sharpen our strategies, and deliver stronger outcomes for our clients—as well as efficiencies produced by AI—without ever losing sight of the human spirit that drives creativity and connection.