AI Marketing Maverick: A Q&A with Andy Jensen of Pictelate Social Media Marketing

Andy Jensen is a trailblazer in the world of AI and marketing. As the founder Pictelate, a cutting-edge social media company at the intersection of human creativity and artificial intelligence, Jensen is pioneering new ways for brands to leverage advanced technologies like generative AI.

We sat down with Jensen to get his insights on the rapidly evolving AI marketing landscape and where this transformative technology is headed next.

Q: How is AI changing the field of marketing and advertising?

Andy Jensen: AI is revolutionizing marketing from the ground up. We’re really at the beginning stages of this change — but even now, we are seeing AI-powered tools that can analyze data and consumer behavior at scales humans can’t comprehend. This allows for hyper-personalized marketing tailored to each individual.

Most importantly, AI is also augmenting human creativity in powerful ways. AI generated images are so close to reality, we are beginning to see humans that have never existed with the realism of a professional photo. It would take thousands of dollars of equipment, a team of photographers, a model, a set and a full day — just to get an image we can now generate in 30 seconds. The amount of free and usable content now available to creators is near endless.

Q: What are some current AI marketing use cases you find most exciting?

Jensen: I’m really intrigued by AI’s potential for dynamic video creation and optimization. We’ve highlighted a number of products like this on our channel. It’s truly amazing that we can now craft a script and AI can literally generate the video, the text and the voiceover.

A marginal growth in computer power will mean that full length cinema will be able to do the same. On the music front, we have already seen studio released songs from professional artists. [Laughing with disbelief] There is so much more to come.

Q: What does the combination of AI and Influencer marketing mean for big brands?

Jensen: It was not long ago that brands had to spend millions in advertising dollars to reach a sizeable audience. Even today, a 30 second Superbowl ad has a $7million cost to reach roughly 120 million people.

Social Media has changed this paradigm. With the right influencer and a brand who is willing to break the traditional marketing molds, we no longer need Superbowl level advertising to reach tens of millions of people.

I recently worked with the cosmetic company CeraVe to create a campaign and promote their moisturizing cream with sunblock. Today, that one ad has reached over 65 million people. Upon first view, it may be easy to miss how key themes in the storyline are designed to be memorable to viewer but there is a strategy to great content development and lasting brand placement regardless of the type of content.

With only 39% of companies utilizing social media marketing as a strategy, my hope is that more businesses will begin to re-tool the way they approach their audiences. My key message is… find the right influencer partner and trust in their ability to know your brand and their audience!

Q: What are the biggest misconceptions about AI in marketing?

Jensen: A common fear is that AI will replace human marketers and creatives. But the reality is AI should be viewed as an extraordinarily powerful copilot.

AI handles the heavy data-lifting, automates repetitive tasks, and augments our creativity. But it still needs the human’s strategic vision, emotional intelligence and cultural context to be effective. It’s a force-multiplier, not a replacement.

Q: How should brands be preparing for an AI-driven marketing future?

Jensen: First, get comfortable experimenting with AI tools and developing AI literacy across your marketing teams. It’s important to understand the current capabilities and limitations.

Brands should also start developing a responsible AI strategy and guidelines. As AI becomes more embedded, you need processes to ensure it aligns with your values and avoids harmful biases or outputs.

Finally, invest in human skills that AI can’t easily replicate like creative direction, strategic thinking and understanding human psychology. These human-centric skills will be vital in an AI-augmented marketing world.

Q: What’s your vision for the next 5–10 years of AI marketing?

Jensen: I think we’ll see AI marketing assistants that can handle the entire end-to-end process for campaigns. You’ll simply provide the high-level strategy and goals, and the AI will ideate concepts, create all assets, execute the campaign across channels, and continuously optimize based on real-time data.

We’ll also see AI-generated influencers, celebrities and spokespeople that can be dynamically created for different audiences and marketing contexts. The lines between real and virtual will blur dramatically.

Ultimately, AI will allow brands to get more creative, move with much more speed, and connect with consumers in hyper-personalized ways. It’s an incredibly exciting frontier!