AI in business: training and strategy for success

1 - Could you briefly introduce yourself and tell us about your career? 

My name is Sébastien Brunelle. For over twenty years, I've been working on digital transformation for major groups in the luxury goods, banking and telecoms sectors. In particular, I've worked for CHANEL Parfums Beauté and for the Richemont group, at Roger Dubuis in the luxury watchmaking sector. These experiences have given me the opportunity to work with demanding organisations faced with the challenges of innovation, performance and competitiveness in international environments.

A year ago, with Antoine Doury, I co-founded Xperience AI agency, Our ambition is to support businesses in their transformation through artificial intelligence. Our approach covers the entire cycle: from strategy to training and operational implementation.

In practical terms, support always begins with an AI maturity audit to understand the company's starting point and its ambitions. We then work to acculturate the stakeholders, to share a common vision of the opportunities and limits of artificial intelligence. Then, through ideation workshops with the business units, we identify concrete use cases that we translate into a costed action plan over 12 to 18 months.

This plan makes it possible to assess both the investment required and the potential value generated. In this way, the company can prioritise the most strategic initiatives and rapidly achieve measurable results.

But it doesn't stop at the roadmap. Transformation requires the right organisation, dedicated resources, clear governance and genuine support for change. That's why we are also involved in implementing and managing projects, mobilising the internal and external resources needed to turn ambition into concrete results.

2. Why has AI become a central pillar of digital transformation? 

Artificial intelligence has become a central pillar of digital transformation, because it now affects all our businesses.

Digitalisation has already affected a large proportion of business functions. With AI, we are entering a new stage: all sectors and all roles can gain in productivity, quality and efficiency. The benefits are often very tangible: saving time, reducing costs, improving quality and making better use of data.

But the real question is not just «how much time do we save», it's «what do we do with the time we save? This time can be reinvested in higher-value activities: business development, improved customer relations, innovation, personalised services. Ultimately, these gains almost always have a financial impact, either in the form of savings or increased sales. And if this link cannot be established, it is legitimate to ask whether the project is really a priority.

Beyond the immediate gains, AI is profoundly transforming the way we work. From the moment we stop working as we used to, roles evolve, professions are redefined and organisations have to adapt. You can't simply «add» AI to what already exists and expect a significant return on investment.

The process is gradual:

1. Understand the possibilities and limits.
   
   
2. Experimenting and practising.
   
   
3. See in concrete terms that ways of working are changing.
   
   
4. Adjust the organisation, responsibilities and governance accordingly.
   
   

It is only when this structural adaptation is undertaken that we see a real return on financial investment at company level.

In reality, AI is not a tool that you plug in and subscribe to. It is a strategic transformation that needs to be anticipated, structured and managed. It requires a clear vision, so that it can be implemented where it really makes sense and where it creates lasting value.

3. What are the digital marketing use cases where AI is currently creating the most measurable value for companies?

There are many use cases for AI in digital marketing, to name but a few:

Hyper-personalisation AI allows us to go much further in personalising the customer experience, improving the relationship and the conversion rate, which translates directly into sales and additional customer value.

Data analysis Unstructured data: unstructured data such as e-mails, customer reviews, chats and meeting transcripts can be used to better understand behaviour, refine campaigns and improve recommendations.

Creativity and ideation AI: far from replacing teams, AI enables a greater number of ideas and scenarios to be explored more quickly, making it easier to make strategic choices to stand out from the competition.

AI or GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) search engine optimisation Beyond traditional SEO, it is becoming essential to be listed in AI-generated results, such as ChatGPT, which already account for up to 20 % of traffic, depending on the sector.

Content generation For e-tailers, for example, AI makes it possible to create large-scale personalised visuals and product layouts, often at lower cost, or to produce landing pages tailored to different customer profiles.

Managing interactions AI optimises customer relations on social networks, in customer service or on applications, by speeding up the processing of simple requests. 

Development and test cycles are accelerated: different versions of sites, applications or landing pages can be tested more quickly.

AI is more than just another tool: it can increase efficiency, relevance and commercial value at every level of digital marketing.

4. In your experience, what are the key conditions for successfully integrating AI into a digital marketing and digital transformation strategy?

To successfully integrate AI into a digital marketing or digital transformation strategy, a number of conditions are essential.

First of all, it should be remembered that AI is a tool: it helps to execute and complete what you want to do, but it does not replace strategy. It is therefore crucial to have already defined your marketing and communications strategy, and to know your target and your market well. AI can help you to collect and analyse data on your market using in-depth research tools. It can then enrich this strategy by structuring the thinking and generating ideas for the action plan.

We need to ensure that AI is used where it really adds value and meaning, for both customers and employees. Incorrect use can damage brand image, as illustrated by some recent examples in the fashion sector.

Data security and the legal framework are also essential. AI must be deployed in compliance with the RGPD and the IA Act, the strictest European regulations in this field.

Finally, employee training is key: understanding the potential of AI, its limits and what not to do. AI must remain a co-pilot: an additional tool for analysis and creativity, but the final responsibility remains human and legal.

The successful integration of AI combines a clear strategy, legal compliance, governance and support for teams, to generate value in a responsible and sustainable way.

5. Why is it now essential for managers and marketing teams to learn about AI?

It is now essential for managers and marketing teams to learn about AI. A successful digital or AI transformation relies 70 % on people, compared with just 10 % on technology and 20 % on data. Plugging in a tool is not enough: if no-one knows how to use it or what they can gain from it, it will remain unused.

AI is changing the way we work, and our roles and professions are evolving. Employees need to make these tools their own on a daily basis if they are to become more competitive. It enables certain tasks to be performed with much less effort, and consumer expectations are rising rapidly. Companies that do not master these new possibilities run the risk of being overtaken by the competition or by the rising standards of customer experience.

In addition, marketing seeks to create brand value by generating emotion. AI enables us to refocus our efforts on what is of value to customers and teams.

Training is therefore often the starting point in our approach: it enables managers and teams to speak the same language, to understand the opportunities and limits, and to put in place strategic and appropriate action plans. Without this initial awareness, it is impossible to take effective action.