OpenAI claim Marketers Are Sleeping on AI 😴. Here’s How to Wake Up and Get Ahead
AI-First Marketing -> Flip AI from Content Hack to Strategy Machine
Weekly Snippets 🤓
Here’s what’s buzzing in marketing and tech this week—grab your coffee.
Tourism Ireland’s Halloween Flex 🎃: Halloween’s roots? Pure Irish. 2,000 years ago, it was Samhain—the festival marking the end of harvest and start of winter. People believed the barrier between worlds got a little too thin, so they wore masks to blend in with wandering spirits. Creepy? Sure.
Yarn: Need that perfect Mad Men clip? Yarn lets you search movie and TV quotes by word. Way faster than crafting another ‘thanks, but no thanks’ email.
Tesla’s Earnings Surge: Tesla just posted its best one-day gain since 2013. Turns out, doubling down on innovation pays—literally.
My Hot Takes 🤔
B2B Startups > B2C: B2B startups are where the real money’s at. Here’s why I’d bet on B2B every time—did I miss anything?—Join the debate!
All-Time Smartest Ad?: This business ad is pure genius, IMO. Agree or disagree? Let’s hash it out! Let’s discuss!
TL;DR 👓
Most marketers are using AI wrong. Cranking out blog posts? That’s entry-level stuff. OpenAI’s AI Primitives—research, data analysis, automation, and creative thinking—are where the real power lies. These tools make AI a strategy supercharger, not just a shortcut. So, either go deep with AI or get comfortable getting left behind.
This Week's Reality Check ✅
OpenAI claim Marketers are sleeping on AI 😴
Startup life? Brutal.
Investors want miracles, but your budget could barely buy coffee for a team of two.
I remember the early days at my first startup, we had next to nothing for a marketing budget. Every click, every visitor was a hard-won victory. Those scrappy days taught me to squeeze every drop out of what we had.
Today, that edge is called AI.
And if you're not leaning into it, you’re playing on hard mode.
Forget Content—AI is a Total Game Changer
Dane Vahey, Head of Strategic Marketing at OpenAI, says:
Most marketers are still splashing around in the shallow end with AI. They’re using it to write social posts and email subject lines, but the real power? That’s down in the deep end, changing how we think and operate.
Blog posts and subject lines?
That’s child’s play.
It’s time to go much deeper.
In this post, I’ll cover:
Why AI Primitives matter for marketers
The core AI skills every marketer should know
My take on what it all means for the future of marketing
Why AI Primitives Matter 😎
Dane calls “AI Primitives” the building blocks of modern marketing.
It’s not about cranking out more social posts.
Think of it as an unfair advantage that 99% of marketers aren’t leveraging.
AI Primitive #1: Research—Get Real Insights, Fast
Remember when research used to take days?
Now, it’s done in minutes
No more outdated, irrelevant data.
With tools like Search GPT (coming soon) or Perplexity, you can pull real-time data from across the globe.
Planning a campaign in Brazil?
Ask, “What’s the regulatory landscape for SaaS?”
Bam—instant intel.
This isn’t research.
It’s weaponised knowledge.
AI Primitive #2: Data Analysis — Turning Raw Data into Gold
Your data is a goldmine if you know how to use it.
Most marketers are drowning in data and gasping for insights.
With ChatGPT, you can upload marketing data and instantly spot trends without spreadsheet marathons.
Imagine heading into a meeting armed with insights that took AI minutes to pull.
When I first experimented with automating my weekly marketing reports using AI, I expected inevitable bugs and glitches. Instead, every Monday morning, I receive a comprehensive analysis of the week's performance directly in my inbox—no manual effort required. Welcome to the boardroom ambush game-changer.
AI Primitive #3: Content Generation—This Is More Than Blog Posts
Yes, we’re all using AI for content.
But if you’re just churning out blog posts, you’re leaving money on the table.
Tools like DALL-E and Runway ML go beyond words, letting you generate visuals, videos, and onboarding materials without a big production team.
AI still needs your voice, though—keep it on-brand.
AI Primitive #4: Automation & Coding—Build Without a Tech Team
AI is democratising tech.
With tools like Zapier and Make, you can automate workflows, lead scoring, and follow-ups. No-code tools like Bubble.io mean you’re building custom dashboards without a single line of code.
It’s a super power on demand.
Here’s an example of an AI app I built with AI without typing a line of code.
AI Primitive #5: Thinking—Level-Up Your Creativity
AI isn’t here to take over your job.
It’s your brainstorming buddy.
With ChatGPT’s Advanced Audio model, brainstorm on the go.
Need fresh angles?
Ask, “What am I missing?” AI will point out blind spots and suggest alternatives.
And with ChatGPT’s memory feature, it remembers past convos, becoming a strategic partner over time.
My Final Thoughts
Startup life isn’t forgiving—you already know that.
But AI gives you the chance to work smarter and more strategically.
Marketers may lead the AI charge in companies, but most are barely scratching the surface.
Drafts and captions? Helpful, sure.
But that’s AI on training wheels.
If you’re serious about leveraging AI, focus on these:
Research: Fast-track campaigns with AI insights.
Data Analysis: Spot trends without drowning in spreadsheets.
Content Generation: Let AI handle visuals, videos, and more.
Automation & Coding: Build workflows without a developer.
Thinking: Brainstorm, strategise, and uncover what you’re missing.
Adopting AI Primitives thinking is about upgrading your entire approach.
With AI as your partner, you’re no longer just executing—you’re strategising and operating on a whole new level. It’s a framework for winning.
This is AI-First Marketing.
The Rabbit Hole - For Those Who Want to Go Deeper
Check out these hand-picked resources:
Harvard Business Review: How to Design an AI Marketing Strategy
Hubspot: AI in Digital Marketing — The Complete Guide
Synthesia: 11 Powerful Uses of AI in Marketing