We are in the middle of a revolution.
Some say it’s bad for humans.
That it will make us slaves to the machine.
That we should be in charge,
not that thing we’ve built.
That’s the view of those who want to put AI on a slow boat to far away.
In advertising, it’s disruption on top of disruption.
A sector once driven by traditional media,
which has now been demoted from headliner to backup singer.
Disruption squared.
And some agencies are still pining for the good old days,
waiting for them to return. Corporate tabanca?
We should’ve been better prepared.
Digital disruption gave us a taste.
But two earthquakes back-to-back?
Some of us are still in a stupor.
Here’s how I see it:
Unless you have Peter Minshall’s talent,
AI will design future Carnival bands,
and already likely doing some of today’s.
It has been crafting ad campaigns.
Designing logos, labels, and leaflets.
It’s writing entire annual reports.
Anything that is prompted,
AI can and will do.
From planning the Olympics
to your office Christmas party.
The issue is not that AI is taking over.
It’s the extent and quality of human participation in the takeover that matters.
At Pepper, we saw the tsunami coming.
We headed for higher ground.
Started learning.
Started using the tools.
Began the transformation,
embracing what AI could do for us.
But we humans are slow to change.
And we’ve not done enough.
Here’s the kicker:
Just as we must learn to get the best out of AI,
we must also learn how to be good marketers.
We still need to know how to:
Some say it’s bad for humans.
That it will make us slaves to the machine.
That we should be in charge,
not that thing we’ve built.
That’s the view of those who want to put AI on a slow boat to far away.
In advertising, it’s disruption on top of disruption.
A sector once driven by traditional media,
which has now been demoted from headliner to backup singer.
Disruption squared.
And some agencies are still pining for the good old days,
waiting for them to return. Corporate tabanca?
We should’ve been better prepared.
Digital disruption gave us a taste.
But two earthquakes back-to-back?
Some of us are still in a stupor.
Here’s how I see it:
Unless you have Peter Minshall’s talent,
AI will design future Carnival bands,
and already likely doing some of today’s.
It has been crafting ad campaigns.
Designing logos, labels, and leaflets.
It’s writing entire annual reports.
Anything that is prompted,
AI can and will do.
From planning the Olympics
to your office Christmas party.
The issue is not that AI is taking over.
It’s the extent and quality of human participation in the takeover that matters.
At Pepper, we saw the tsunami coming.
We headed for higher ground.
Started learning.
Started using the tools.
Began the transformation,
embracing what AI could do for us.
But we humans are slow to change.
And we’ve not done enough.
Here’s the kicker:
Just as we must learn to get the best out of AI,
we must also learn how to be good marketers.
We still need to know how to:
- Find a consumer insight
- Differentiate
- Zig when others zag
Because what really worries me isn’t that AI will do too much.
It’s that we’ll stop doing the real work.
All the mentorships,
trade visits,
brainstorms,
promotions,
press conferences,
media schedules, campaigns and new product launches
That we’ve lived
They are what equip us to manage AI, not worship it.
If we stop doing what falls under the 4 P’s
with passion and discipline,
we’ll be like the emperor in his new clothes:
Dependent on the magical powers of AI,
and naked of any real skill or talent.
So yes,
Learn AI.
But also,
Keep learning to think.
To discern.
To sell.
To persuade.
To zig.
Or to zag.
To be a good marketer.
Because, if we abandon the craft,
if we unlearn the chase,
if we trade instinct for autocomplete
we’ll be marketers in name only.
Polished. Efficient. And empty.
And the worst part?
We won’t even notice we’ve been replaced.
(photo: My ChatGPT collab for Carnival 2026. You can see. I’m no Minsh)
