In this episode of the DMI podcast, host Will Francis speaks with Jim Lecinski, marketing professor at Northwestern University, Kellogg and co-author of The AI Marketing Canvas. Together, they explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping marketing — from reducing cycle times and boosting productivity to transforming how marketers plan, execute, and measure campaigns. Jim demystifies emerging tools like AI agents, custom GPTs, and reasoning engines, and shares why marketers need to lead AI strategy rather than passively adopt it. He also offers great advice for how marketers can make the most of AI at junior, middle, and senior levels of a career.Jim's Top 3 Tips
- Nominate an AI Champion
- Focus on Today’s Practical Use Cases
- Upskill with Free Tools
Timestamps
00:00 – Intro & State of Marketing Today
01:08 – The AI Adoption Curve
03:30 – How AI Is Actually Used Today
05:01 – 4 Common Approaches to AI in Enterprises
08:42 – Creating an AI Strategy in Marketing
10:27 – Understanding AI Agents vs. Assistants
13:27 – What Marketers Should (and Shouldn’t) Focus On
16:15 – The Human Side of Marketing & Creativity
20:12 – AI-Generated Ads & the NBCU-Waymark Deal
24:33 – “We’re an AI-first company”: Why Leaders Say This
27:02 – How AI Will Affect Marketing Jobs
32:31 – Career Advice by Level
36:12 – What’s New in The AI Marketing Canvas (2nd Edition)
40:17 – How Jim Used AI to Build His Course
45:02 – Reframing AI as a Reasoning Engine, Not a Chatbot
46:12 – Job Hunting with AI
48:33 – Where to Upskill in AI for Marketing
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