Click & Mortar at a Critical Juncture: The Challenges of Using AI in a Digital Marketing Agency

Description

Click & Mortar at a Critical Juncture: The Challenges of Using AI in a Digital Marketing Agency: Abstract

In 2023, artificial intelligence was experiencing unprecedented growth and development, affecting both client relations and company positioning in the digital marketing industry. The founders of Click & Mortar, a Montréal-based digital marketing agency, navigated this new context cautiously, seeking to adopt AI while preserving human input. At the heart of their approach lay a balance between core values such as integrity, transparency, and human-centred solutions and the drive for efficiency and optimization. They considered client needs, employee performance, and larger sustainability issues.

Teaching objectives

• Understand: Discuss the role of AI tools in digital marketing contexts, providing examples of and insights into how AI shapes strategic marketing and company positioning.
• Apply: Apply the Business Model Canvas and examine relevant literature on environmental impacts and innovation adoption to tackle the case’s business challenges.
• Analyze: Use a SWOT analysis to assess the benefits and challenges of employing AI tools.
• Evaluate: Synthesize case information to address sustainability issues in AI usage, alongside ethical and privacy concerns.
• Evaluate: Discuss the obstacles to implementing AI internally to enhance profitability and employee performance. Additionally, discuss strategies for effectively communicating AI-related service offerings to clients.
• Evaluate: Discuss how to communicate the value of AI and the importance of human intervention to both clients and employees.

Additional information

Teachers’ notes are available for university teachers only. Please contact the HEC Montréal Case Centre.