How to Make Marketing AI Work Now, Not Someday

Tis’ the Season for AI

Year-end is chaotic. Campaigns are launching, budgets are wrapping, and planning for the next quarter is often squeezed into whatever time remains. Amid all of that, planning for AI can’t be something you postpone until next year. The brands putting it to work today are already building momentum, and the gap will only widen.

One thing has become increasingly clear: AI isn’t a “someday” technology anymore. Leading brands are seeing measurable improvements in campaign performance, customer engagement, and workflow efficiency. 

The opportunity is right in front of you. The question is how to make AI work for your business, starting now.

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Personalization That Doesn’t Feel Forced

Customers notice irrelevant content immediately. AI addresses that gap, surfacing products, offers, and creative that align with how people browse, click, or buy—without manually splitting every list.

Proof it pays off:

• Victoria’s Secret boosted email engagement by 35% in a single quarter.
  
  
• Ballard Designs cut production time by 60% while increasing clicks.
  
  

Customers don’t care about strategies or frameworks—they care about experiences that feel relevant.

Take Da Vinci: instead of sending one promo to everyone, it selects content from your creative library that best fits each person. As engagement patterns change, it adapts automatically. For customers, it feels personal. For marketers, it scales without constant manual intervention.

A Practical Path to Get Started

The end of the year is a natural time to begin building AI capabilities that will deliver value throughout 2026 and beyond. Think of it in seasons:

• Fall: Spot opportunities. Identify campaigns still sent in batches and areas where production takes up excessive time.
  
  
• Winter: Collect evidence. The holiday season makes gaps in personalization obvious—use these moments as proof points.
  
  
• Spring: Build foundations. Prepare your team, tools, and initial use cases so you’re ready to expand thoughtfully.
  
  

Most marketing teams spend their hours tweaking versions, chasing approvals, and QA’ing campaigns. With AI, repetitive production shifts to the background, freeing teams to focus on strategy, testing, and storytelling—the work that drives long-term growth.

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Why Waiting Isn’t Neutral

AI improves with every campaign. The earlier you start, the faster insights accumulate, and the stronger your foundation becomes. Waiting doesn’t pause the race; it leaves you behind.

By 2026, the leaders won’t necessarily be the ones with the biggest budgets. They’ll be the ones who began integrating AI while others were still debating it.

Da Vinci adapts in real time and continuously refines campaigns from the first send. The advantage comes from momentum, insight, and consistent iteration—not shortcuts.

Ready to see what AI implementation could look like for your brand? Request a demo or explore our resources below to learn more.