Why Marketing Planning Still Beats AI Shortcuts

The Gist

• Planning still matters. Research shows structured marketing planning delivers stronger long-term business growth than shortcuts or quick wins.

• AI is flawed. While AI speeds things up, it often delivers confident but incorrect answers that need human judgment and context.

• Execution still counts. A solid plan helps, but creativity and consistency are still needed to connect with customers and deliver results.

Like many marketing practitioners, I’m increasingly using AI to make life easier. Need ideas to refine that strapline? No problem. Quick article, complete with meta descriptions, keywords and JSON schema to help increase SEO? You got it. In a world of influencers promising endless shortcuts and hacks, I have to admit it’s becoming an incredibly powerful tool. 

While I’m saving time with a tool that has more processing power than I do, I’m still aware of the gaps. Firstly, there’s a difference between self-confidence and correctness. As we become overly reliant on AI, remember to clarify that last answer. Responses delivered with unwavering confidence by AI can often fall apart with the merest hint of critical questioning. “You’re right, here’s the real answer that will work 100% this time.” 

Secondly, I’ve yet to feel like things are necessarily “better.” Yes, they’re quicker and easier, but better? I’m not so sure. I’m not seeing endless case studies that show marketing results have gone through the roof because of the judicious use of AI. 

What Marketing Planning Gets Right That AI Doesn’t

Doing some research for a product launch recently, I found myself immersed in good old-fashioned marketing studies. They were conducted by teams of highly qualified, experienced people using primary research and data to understand what can make a difference. There are plenty of examples of best practices, but let’s start at the beginning with marketing planning.

According to numerous studies, it turns out that the impact of having a good, rigorous plan, can have profound consequences on the performance of marketing. For example, in 2018 Boston Consulting Group found that, across both B2B and B2C, organizations that have an effective and well-structured marketing plan achieve better annual growth rates, 1.4 times to 1.9 times higher than less disciplined industry peers.

The list goes on. Binet and Field (famous for “The Long and Short of It” in 2019) looked at more than 1,000 case studies and found long-term structured planning helped firms achieve 60% higher returns than those without. 

Imagine having a shortcut, a life hack or an AI product that could grow your revenue 90% faster than your industry peers. That would be incredible. Yet basic marketing planning doesn’t need anything like that. It doesn’t need to take a long time or consume huge amounts of processing power. It’s within our gift as marketers to make informed decisions about where and how we compete. We can also clearly document what we aim to achieve, how we’ll do it and who will be responsible.

Related Article: Are Your Brand Marketing Strategies Outdated?

Most Marketers Still Skip the Basics

In the UK, various surveys by the Chartered Institute of Marketing found up to 30% of markers admit to not having a formal marketing plan. In 2023, the AMA CMO survey (a twice annual study of marketing leaders in the U.S.) found that fewer than 50% of firms had a long-term marketing plan in place. Similar findings exist in the Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Review and McKinsey, among other trusted sources. Surprisingly, not all businesses have a plan. 

There is an often-cited quote from former world-heavy weight boxer Mike Tyson. “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” There’s also the 19th century military equivalent to this idea. “No plan survives first contact with the enemy.” Plans need to adapt, and they often move in new and unexpected directions. From my experience, some of the most effective marketing wasn’t part of the plan at the start of the year, but the intended outcomes certainly were.

Planning Is Boring — Do It Anyway

Let’s be clear; marketing planning is not guaranteed as the way to greater riches. Plenty of other research shows that someone still needs to put in the hard yards of execution. Organizations still need creativity to produce distinctive, memorable marketing and connect with buyers in deep, emotional ways. Perhaps that’s AI, perhaps not. But at the very least, we can spend the time making a plan before we start. 

AI can also have a role in marketing planning. It can support general market research, help scan competitor moves and positioning, build a clearer picture of buyer personas and even assist in identifying your ideal customer profile. Heck, you can even use it to give yourself a reminder once a year “Alexa, remind me to write a marketing plan.”