Interview: It's the timing, stupid!

AI is fundamentally changing corporate communications. What do you see as the biggest shift?

Christian Omlin: The fact is: Starting in 2025, more content will be generated by machines than by humans. This is a paradigm shift—and not just for marketing. In corporate communications, too, the question arises: How can we still make an impact and resonate amid this flood of content, which is increasingly perceived as AI slop? To stand out here, doing more isn’t necessarily the best solution. Rather, it’s about seizing the right moment, acting with sensitivity, and having a keen sense of timing to build trust. This instinct for the right context—for the people and the situation—will become the decisive strategic lever in the corporate communications of tomorrow.

Do you have a specific example of a situation where that timing made a difference?

Let’s take the «Switzerland is Fake» campaign by the Winterthur Museum of Photography. The museum reopened after two years of renovations. This was important news for the museum itself, but not yet the kind of news that would make a big splash outside its walls. Right at the time of the reopening, the media spotlight was elsewhere: on the Eurovision Song Contest, the major media event of the year. A standard press release alone would have generated little response in this context. Instead, the museum boldly produced a satirical AI video claiming that Switzerland doesn’t even exist. Absurd, yes, but it struck exactly the right chord. And the Photographic Museum, as the source, came across as credible because it was able to demonstrate, in an exemplary way, what is possible with the power of images and messages at the right moment: nearly four million views in the first 48 hours. A brief, bold intervention with an enormous impact.

Everyone talks about authenticity in corporate communications. But how exactly do you become authentic?

It’s about having your own edge and playing to it. And being aware of what edge you want to—and can—represent with your own company. Jean-Remy von Matt once said that only what’s unusual is memorable. Consequently, having your own edge becomes the decisive differentiator in the AI-Slop era. But this raises some very fundamental questions: What is our message with substance? And how far can we go in taking a strong stance? Those who go too far risk a lot. On the other hand, those who never dare to do anything unusual simply fall into the ranks of the trivial and risk fading into obscurity.

Many communications departments are considering which concepts and approaches to use and on which channels to be present. What is the right approach here?

Before I decide for or against a particular communication approach, I must always be aware of what I am consciously choosing not to do—in line with Michael Porter’s understanding of strategy: “choosing what not to do.” Especially in corporate communications, it helps to be aware of the scope for action and the options available to us in a given situation. This is where AI can be of practical help. Of course, it doesn’t predict the future, but it works with probabilities—and we can use that to our advantage. To decide what to do—and what not to do.

What does working with AI look like for you in practice?

The point is that AI allows me to respond to situations in a more thoughtful way. In other words: to develop strategic options, consider opposing viewpoints, and run through different scenarios. If I have an idea at ten o’clock at night, I can immediately build on it and check for weaknesses. Human intuition and experience remain unique and serve as the starting point for the idea itself, but I can refine and test raw thoughts, raw ideas, and approaches. Or to put it simply: when used correctly, AI provides a boost to my thinking.

What skills do successful practitioners need today?

The demands are immense and varied: being able to read and interpret data, understand the political landscape, grasp stakeholder dynamics, build and maintain relationships, and act strategically. It’s no longer enough to be good at just one or two of these things. You must understand corporate communications from various perspectives, not shy away from complexity but master it, and, on top of that, stay on the cutting edge. In the CAS Strategic and Corporate Communication program at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, that’s exactly what we focus on: fresh perspectives and thought-provoking ideas for your own professional practice. If you’d like to get a better idea of what this entails, we’d love to invite you to join us on May 28, when we’ll delve deeper into the «Switzerland is Fake» case study over lunch.