I was a good marketing student and it was my favorite lecture of the entire day. I even used to walk my professor back to the staff room or to her next classroom. Back then our source of marketing knowledge was limited to the library, a couple of e-magazines, and our Professors. Today, I have received an invitation to give a lecture at one of the prominent B-schools and I am wondering what exactly I will speak about. The primary source of information for the current batch of students is AI. What more value will I be able to add, now that AI answers like Philip Kotler himself?
The themes they have given me to choose from are Leadership, Strategy and Marketing with a focus on AI. I should also emphasise what the industry will expect from the graduating class. To be honest, if there is one thing that AI or the library can’t give them, it is my personal anecdotes. I can only share stories from my journey which may click with them. Maybe, my learnings expedite their decision making faculties. If that is achieved I will have a happy journey back home from their green and enriching campus.
1. Learning to Learn
There’s a famous line from The Edge (1997), starring Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin: “What one man can do, another can do.” Stranded in the wilderness and fighting for survival, the characters repeat this phrase as a reminder that difficult things aren’t impossible. To achieve something it simply requires learning, perseverance and courage.
That’s what the line really teaches us. It gives us the confidence to embrace the process. Every worthwhile skill has a learning curve. Others may help us shorten it, guide us or make it less intimidating, but no one can skip it for us. We still have to practise, fail, repeat and improve until the skill becomes second nature. That is what creates competence and builds agility.
2. Writing is a Life Skill
My bio on X and LinkedIn says – ‘W’rite to Express. I believe writing is how we structure our thoughts and mold our communication as per our audience. People are often concerned about how others perceive them and whether their message is understood the way they intend. Reports like the Pangram further deter and demotivate the many who may want to express themselves but can’t. For them communication becomes a constant test with every email, article, blog, website copy or even a simple text message. We should try to develop this capability with AI. It’s important to marketers, especially to preserve originality and authenticity. We have been communicating ever since language first evolved, yet we continue to depend on specialists to shape our brand narratives. With AI we can expedite this learning while preserving authenticity.
3. Resilience is the new Curiosity
As in science, every business challenge begins with a hypothesis. AI helps us generate ideas, test assumptions and uncover patterns at remarkable speed. Sometimes it validates our thinking. Sometimes it just confidently leads us in the wrong direction. That’s where resilience steps in with the willingness to question our assumptions, eliminate weak evidence, refine our hypothesis and continue experimenting until the facts reveal the truth.
Marketing has always worked this way. Long before AI, marketers relied on A/B testing to learn from customer behaviour. In B2B marketing, I often use AI simulations to demonstrate the cost of inaction for it helps clients experience the impact. AI has given us the power to become Sherlock Holmes, the original superhero we always wanted to be.
4. Your web-presence is your resume
Hiring, collaborating, partnering, prospecting, dating – you are being searched for your web presence. It’s not just voyeuristic or stalking but it’s preparing and ensuring that the ‘meeting goes well’. What others are saying about you – that is exactly what reputation is. Is it paid or organic? What is AI talking about you? It is elementary that we make good use of channels and platforms to showcase independent thought and original ideas. When people search for you, their response should be, ‘Now that is a cool personality to associate with.’
5. Very soon, the new currency will be Time
A happier and in my version a wealthier person will be one who has time to achieve a perfect work-life balance. It’s understood that AI will reduce man-hours and increase efficiency and productivity. It’s upon us where we use it, and how well we use it. The time we save should be spent on striving for excellence, understanding customers, asking better questions, building stronger relationships and solving more meaningful problems. Therefore, cognizance of where our time goes and whether we can control it is utterly critical.
How can I end an AI topic without invoking Darwin? Well, the pursuit of happiness lies in continuous evolution. We don’t have to worry about what the market expects out of us. We should not choose to be a part of the rat race running behind every certification, microlearning credits, force-fitted internships, tools and cult platforms. We should take a step back, count to ten, breathe and rediscover our capabilities. We then focus only on harnessing and honing them. So much so that the idea of an anxious life doesn’t scar our inherent happy soul. We just keep developing and evolving our capabilities and follow – Khudi ko kar buland itna, ki har takdeer se pehle khuda bande se khud pooche, bata, teri raza kya hai. (Elevate yourself so high that before every decree, God himself asks you: Tell me, what is your will?)
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