Why I’m a fan of operating models in this era of AI

Opinion

We have to create marketing operating models that account for the unknown, whether driven by tech, economic, or political factors, writes the BBC’s director of media.

In media, change has long been the norm – it’s probably one of the things we like about our role. Social media didn’t exist when I took my first tentative steps as a media buyer in the early 2000s, let alone influencer marketing, CTV, podcasts or retail media.

Chasing audience consumption, immersing ourselves in new media channels, and tracking how they evolve as they mature are what, for me, have made marketing a fascinating career for the last 25 years.

Yet, just as with the Industrial Revolution, something comes along that brings about fundamental change. Two years ago, Gen AI was barely mentioned; now it’s transforming marketing at an unprecedented pace and scale.

A study earlier this year by Anthropic, the company behind Claude, ranked Marketing as the 5th most likely occupation to be susceptible to AI disruption, after Computer Programmers, Customer Service Representatives, Data Entry Keyers and Medical Records Specialists.

The study does not suggest that Marketing jobs will disappear overnight, but it does point to the many tasks within marketing that AI will automate. As my fellow ISBA Media Leader, Aviva’s Stuart McDonald asked in his Media Leader column in March, it raises the question ‘What is the marketer actually there to do?’.

Internal marketing teams are having their ‘agency moment’. AI is about to force the next reckoning

If, like me, you enjoy change and have built a career on transformations, these should be exciting times. But are they? Perhaps Owen Wilson’s quote from Armageddon captures it best: “I got that ‘excited/scared’ feeling. Like 98% excited, 2% scared. Or maybe it’s more – It could be two – it could be 98% scared, 2% excited.”

So, if you are feeling 98% scared, you are definitely not alone, but if we stop feeling scared and start to feel 98% excited, we can look at the future of marketing in a much more positive light.

We have a unique opportunity to design change and embed new ways of working across the marketing function. 

We have to create marketing operating models that allow for the unknown, whether it’s driven by tech, economic or political factors, but which have the fundamentals of marketing at the centre.

Yes, I did say ‘operating models’, and with that, I have let slip my ‘Hear me out’ celebrity crush. Let me explain why I am an operating model fan and proud of it.

Since we all have access to the same tools, we need to understand that we’ll secure a competitive advantage for our business through the operating model we employ and our ability to reach maturity on it quickly.

Perhaps I might be expected to say this as Chair of ISBA’s Future Operating Model group, but I have witnessed a huge change in interest in operating models over the past year or so. 

Previously, op models were something marketers looked at periodically – often when doing a pitch- and then tinkered with, but largely forgot about. Now, with the rise of Gen AI, we are all going to be thinking about our op model for the foreseeable future – at least until we get to the point of maturity, and let’s be honest, who knows when that will be. 

I believe that it’s the operating model that marketers adopt now that will drive competitive advantage in the future, not just how they embed AI tools into their workstreams. 

Defining what the marketing operating model of the future looks like for your organisation is not straightforward, but I wanted to share three vital considerations.

1) Bigger benefits will come from a broad process, vs using Gen AI in small areas – most marketers are testing Gen AI on specific tasks, often finding it very difficult to then scale and operationalise them. Those who are designing end-to-end processes will see the biggest benefit 

2) Marketers need to keep nimble- The market isn’t mature yet, so flexibility in the op model is essential. Marketing teams need the ability to swap tools in and out, to bring in new processes as they prove their value.

3) Find trusted partners on this journey – Think of partners in its broadest sense, look to your existing agencies, new suppliers that you can learn from and innovators who can inspire you.

Ultimately, the question isn’t whether AI will change marketing — it’s how deliberately we choose to shape that change. The marketers who will thrive won’t be those with the most tools, but those with the clearest vision for how people, process and technology come together to deliver value. 

If we can stay curious, design operating models that are flexible by intent, and anchor ourselves in the fundamentals of understanding audiences and driving growth, then this moment becomes less about disruption and more about reinvention. 

 Nicki Brown is the director of media at the BBC and is the chair of ISBA’s Future Operating Model group.