Marketers Must Think Like Engineers (Sorry)

The one thing you need to know in AI today | AI Ready CMO

Yesterday, we talked about WPP’s attempt to stay relevant by selling software instead of services. Today: a major brand showing why agencies might not even get that chance.

If you’re feeling whiplash from how fast this is moving, you’re not alone. You, me, all of us in marketing—we need to make some radical changes in how we think. I’ve got some thoughts on what that actually means at the end of this email.

But first, the news: Mondelez just announced it’s invested over $40 million in a proprietary generative AI tool, built with Publicis and Accenture, that cuts ad production costs by 30% to 50%. They’re already using it for social content for Chips Ahoy and Milka, and they’re planning to deploy it for short TV spots by the 2026 holiday season and potentially the 2027 Super Bowl. By this November, Oreo will use it to generate product pages for Amazon and Walmart.

The message: if we’re going to automate our marketing workflows, we might as well own the infrastructure ourselves. Have our M…