Nicole Rodriguez is the founder and CEO of NRPR Group, a strategic advertising and digital marketing specialist with over 20 years of experience.
As the new year approaches, many business owners and professionals are looking forward to a season of economic uncertainty and potential changes in the industry. Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, recently coined the term "slowdown" to describe the meteoric rise we'll see later this year. Fortunately, he was one step ahead of the expected recession, and there were many innovators who shook things up and helped set new standards for doing business in an era of economic recovery and restructuring. One industry that is at the forefront of this business evolution is artificial intelligence—the creative AI within traditional business ecosystems and functions.
Industry leaders and analysts predict that investment in AI will increase this year, with more than 160 startups focused on this particular technology emerging. As they continue to gain market share and build brand awareness, it's important for AI leaders to create compelling stories about their work, explaining why and how their offerings shine in such fierce competition.
As public relations and marketing professionals, we are invaluable allies who can help these leaders communicate their brands effectively with humanity and empathy, two key qualities of our work that many viewers look to when using AI. We can become strong advocates for this audience by taking the time to master the art of communication and understanding how every marketing message needs to be detailed, layered and personalized to reach a specific audience. We understand that even with a significant funding round, the company's success in the public eye will be based on intelligent and compassionate communications that translate investor messages into campaigns that engage consumers. The storytelling skills learned here can make or break our clients' businesses. Let's see how.
Creating and Expanding the Narrative
The main idea of the company is all about attracting the right audience and winning new customers or brand supporters. Our first PR and marketing activities should help position the client's brand by highlighting the specific problem or problems that their AI technology solves, as well as the key differences that make their approach effective. It goes beyond simple marketing jargon and hashtags, keywords or catchy slogans. It's about creating a solid, unified story that speaks to those it serves. Our job as PR professionals is to strip away industry acronyms and trade jargon to humanize stories and make them appealing to the average person without leaving anything to be desired.
This brand narrative should reflect the values, goals, and vision of your AI client company. This should create an effective and emotional connection with their core demographic. It lets people know who is behind the company, how it was founded, and why it's important to try their product/service.
Brand storytelling expansion involves constantly conveying and amplifying messages through marketing and communication efforts across multiple channels and media, from customer websites and social media posts to the articles they publish. We need to make sure that the right storytelling in terms of value proposition, story angle and impact impacts resonant audiences and builds brand awareness if we believe in the work they are doing.
Management training in communication
Once a story is created, we need to help managers figure out how to be the storyteller and share their story with the public in a confident, clear, and concise way. The messaging platform is just a starting point. Media coaching for executives will help you listen, repeat and engage your audience. It's about helping CEOs tell their stories in their own words and in a way that feels natural to them. It's about finding a balance between what most people can absorb and what increases understanding and attracts professionals.
This may include extensive training in messaging and delivery, as well as answering tough questions, before embarking on media interviews and other cold-footed public speaking. Managers need to understand that it is okay to humbly ask for help on how to do it right; pay off in the long run.
Adaptation of strategic marketing plans
Many companies look at multiple marketing plans in an attempt to find the best way to impress and build trust before spending thousands of dollars on an overall marketing plan that doesn't fit with the spirit of their brand or their specific audience. This formulaic approach is the last thing AI leaders need to do as they scale this season. They should look to PR and marketers to create a prismatic, multi-faceted approach that fits their goals, promotes brand adoption, and connects to a broader cultural dialogue. This is where message framing and storytelling come into play. But like any good PR strategy, they need to be flexible and adaptable.
We must regularly monitor and measure the results of our efforts and adjust campaigns or advertising as necessary. In this way, we ensure that our strategy resonates with the media and the public, and that our clients receive the attention they deserve, which we can then present to investors to support future funding rounds.
The economy may be in a slow growth phase right now, but AI will continue to grow as it proves to be a valuable asset to our lifestyle and business world. Companies continue to accelerate the adoption of AI, and AI startups are looking to get a bigger share of this growing pie. With experience in PR and marketing on their side, we can see the difference between obscure or obscure companies and technologies that come into our lives to make a lasting change.
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