For small marketing firms, the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) presents challenges and opportunities. Can these nimble agencies continue to thrive?
According to Mason Day (MBA ’26), an MBA ambassador at the Wisconsin School of Business and a student in Assistant Professor of Marketing Yi Liu’s Technology Product Marketing course, the answer is a resounding yes. Day’s insights stem from his group’s findings as shared in their final project on generative AI and large language models (LLM). Their research indicates that while small agencies may operate with fewer resources, their agility allows them to adapt and respond more quickly than their larger counterparts.
“Our recommendation was to invest in that brand authenticity, that you can have that one-to-one relationship with your clients and maybe pull back on some of the traditional marketing strategies and invest heavier into AI,” Day says. This suggests a shift in focus, where personalized client relationships, augmented by AI, can become a significant competitive advantage.
Liu highlights the core objective of these final projects: to equip students with the knowledge and tools to evaluate and integrate emerging technologies.
“The idea is that these final projects are an opportunity for students to learn about this new technology and to be able to evaluate its future by integrating the concepts they’ve learned throughout the semester,” Liu says.
The Technology Product Marketing course offers a comprehensive curriculum, covering a range of critical topics in product marketing. Beyond the final unit on new trends and applications, which included the generative AI projects, the course covers general issues in product marketing, disruptive technologies, and IT economics and platform strategies. Students gain practical experience through real-world case studies, research assignments, an in-class simulation exercise, and insights from industry leaders, including guest speakers.
Tags: