"We all need to understand what AI means for our day-to-day work today - and what it doesn't"

The AI in Marketing conference goes beyond the hype: it shows where AI offers real added value in marketing - and where it does not. Organizer Tanja Herrmann, known for the Social Media Summit, is relying on a top-class line-up with keynotes, panels and interactive masterclasses. Which tools and strategies are really relevant, which misunderstandings need to be dispelled and why AI is not just an IT topic, but a change management project - all this and more in the interview.

 

Can you remember your first personal experience with artificial intelligence - when did you first get the feeling that AI could change marketing?

My first personal contact with AI - as we know it now - was around four years ago. A colleague had registered for the beta version of Dalle. At an aperitif, he showed me how to generate images from text. I thought to myself: "How practical, at last I can describe all the things as I imagine them and visualize them at the touch of a button". But first we spent the evening visualizing a cat in a bikini in a butcher's shop with a cucumber.

 

What prompted you to launch the "AI in Marketing Conference" - and why now?

The topic of AI is omnipresent - everything is developing so rapidly and often opaquely that it can quickly become frustrating. If you don't have the whole day to deal with it, you feel like you're losing touch. At the same time, there is an overabundance of courses and events - but often far too technical for what I can do myself - or not relevant enough for my needs. The thought was actually: before I have to pick out the 1-2 contents that are relevant to me in marketing at various events, I could put together a program with the topics that concern me and my professional colleagues - without a technical background - the most. The biggest challenge: After eight years of Social Media Summit, I also knew exactly what it would mean if I wanted to set up a second conference. Eight years ago, a good pinch of naivety was quite grateful in hindsight.

 

The marketing industry often experiences hype around new technologies. What makes AI different - and why is it not enough to simply introduce tools?

It is probably fair to say that we are currently in the hype phase when it comes to AI. But it's not going to go away. What makes AI so different is, on the one hand, the speed with which it has become part of our everyday lives - without any formal training. On the other hand, we work with tools without fully understanding them. This is a problem if we want to rely on the results. The problem with the pure "tool approach" is that we hand over individual work steps in existing processes to AI tools. With AI, however, we have to ask ourselves whether the process as such still makes sense or whether the use of AI opens up completely different possibilities. In companies, AI is therefore not just an IT project, but part of a change management project.

 

What problem does the conference solve? What misinformation or misunderstandings do you want to dispel with the event?

The conference will provide an overview and put things into perspective: How do the various AI models work, what are the specific use cases and what legal and ethical challenges do we face?

 

What kind of content and sessions can participants expect? Will it be more about strategy or practical applications?

The conference offers three different formats: Classic keynotes, panels, but also a variety of masterclasses where you can try things out for yourself. For all sessions, we also indicate whether they are aimed at beginners or advanced users and whether specific tools will be used in the session.

 

How did you select the speakers? What criteria did you use to decide who should really be on stage as an AI expert?

Over the summer of 2024, I was in contact with almost 70 AI experts from all over Europe. I also had longer calls with almost 50 of them. I wanted to find out from them which topics are of concern to research, law and schools. In their opinion, which topics receive too little attention, which projects have already been successfully implemented and what their background is. During such discussions, the wheat is separated from the chaff relatively quickly. New people kept joining us and so, over the months, the Program.

 

Many new "AI marketing experts" have emerged in recent years. How can you tell if someone really has in-depth knowledge?

By taking a short time to check CVs and references and then talking to people. After so many preparatory conversations with people who have been researching topics such as machine learning, large language models and neural networks even before ChatGPT & Co, you eventually recognize a buzzword bingo. Because real content can also be explained in simple terms.

 

Who do you personally think are the most exciting speakers at this conference - and why?

Personally, I am delighted that we will also be examining more critical topics relating to AI. The panel with Dr. Sabine Lehmann from Google Deep Mind, Henriette Engbersen from SRF and Prof. Dr. Peter Kichschläger from the University of Lucerne will focus on the tension between innovation and ethics. But all the masterclasses in which the AI tools are used directly are also a highlight for me.

 

Is there an AI topic that is currently the subject of particularly controversial discussion and could perhaps provide for exciting debates at the conference?

The general controversy is data, where does it come from and what happens to the data that we share through our daily work with the tools. The audience will have the opportunity to ask questions after each session, so I could imagine one or two critical questions being asked directly to the publishers of these tools.

 

In your opinion, what is too often ignored or underestimated in the current AI debate in marketing?

What incredible power is distributed among a few players. As Switzerland and Europe, we need to think about what dependencies we want to build up for the future and who we want to trust with our data.

 

How do the perspectives of international and Swiss AI experts differ? Is there a particular dynamic here?

In my opinion, Switzerland takes a very pragmatic approach to the topic of AI. We are aware of the dependency and data insecurity, but our tone is less emotional than in the rest of Europe. As a master of special paths and with the ETH in the heart of Switzerland, I feel less helplessness among experts here in Switzerland.

 

You have already established one of the largest marketing conferences in Switzerland with the Social Media Summit. What do you take with you from this experience to the AI in Marketing Conference?

That building a conference and its "community" takes time, a sure instinct in communicating with all parties and a lot of attention to detail. It's actually the seemingly small things that make people say at the end: I'll be back.

 

How do you ensure that your conferences are not only informative, but also inspiring experiences?

By consistently asking myself the question: "Would I really like it that way?". In addition to good content, functioning technology (and lots of food), a conference also needs a pinch of magic. Things that surprise - such as renting an entire mountain village as a location.

 

What expectations do you have of the first edition of the conference? Is there a particular learning that participants should take away with them?

My aim is for people to be able to say at the end that they now have a better overview of what's going on, concrete tips that I can implement tomorrow and information that is actually relevant for me in my everyday life.

 

The marketing world is changing rapidly. Will "AI in Marketing" be a one-off event or is a sequel already planned?

We are already busy planning for 2026 in the background and will reveal more on March 27, 2025 at Platz.

 

In conclusion: If you had to summarize in one sentence why marketers should not miss the conference - what would your answer be?

Because we all need to understand what AI does and does not mean for our everyday working lives today.

 

The AI in Marketing Conference will take place on March 27 at The Circel, Zurich Airport. Click here for the tickets.