The marketing industry is in the midst of a technological reckoning.
As artificial intelligence reshapes how we live, work and connect, marketers are asking tough questions: What will marketing look like in an AI-powered world? How do we use this technology responsibly? And how can we ensure that human creativity and strategic thinking remain at the core of what we do?
Industry leaders see the potential, but many are still grappling with how best to unlock it.
What AI in marketing really looks like
Much of the public conversation has centred on AI’s ability to generate content – writing copy, creating images, even editing videos. But behind the scenes, the real transformation is taking place at a more foundational level.
Large-scale models are being developed to synthesise data, adapt campaigns in real-time, and make smarter media and creative decisions.
These tools act as a kind of marketing operating system, designed to streamline complexity and surface actionable insight.
Standardising context: The next AI frontier
One way the industry is looking to deploy this technology is through something called the Model Context Protocol (MCP). MCP is an emerging industry standard that helps multiple AI tools work together by ensuring they follow the same brief.
It captures key elements such as brand tone, campaign goals and ethical considerations, then translates them into a shared language that different AI systems can understand and apply consistently.
The aim is coherence across channels and platforms – not just efficiency, but brand integrity. In essence, MCP ensures coherence across AI systems by standardising how they interpret contextual information.
This solves a key challenge in AI-powered marketing: ensuring consistency and alignment across disparate AI agents.
Engine room AI in practice
We know this approach works because we’re already using it as part of our WPP Open platform that is the backbone of integrating all our AI and other technology capabilities across the agency network.
At VML, our Marketing Effectiveness & Intelligence (ME&I) team has begun applying advanced models and protocols like these to real-world campaigns across the EMEA region. Central to this is WPP’s Large Marketing Model (LMM) – a foundational AI system that integrates data across campaigns, channels, and customer touchpoints to generate strategic insights and support real-time decision-making.
When paired with the Model Context Protocol, the LMM becomes even more powerful: the context-aware instructions provided by MCP guide the LMM in generating content, optimising media, and enhancing performance in a way that aligns seamlessly with brand objectives.
How LMM and model context protocol transform marketing
- Proactive personalisation: AI can anticipate customers’ needs, delivering tailored recommendations and seamless experiences aligned with brand identity.
- Creative intelligence: LMM generates and adapts campaigns – including visuals and copy – in real time based on performance and audience engagement.
- Smarter media planning: By analysing market dynamics and campaign data, LMM optimises media spend and identifies the most effective channels.
- Ethical AI: Built-in transparency, fairness, and privacy safeguards build consumer trust and ensure compliance.
- Democratised capabilities: Smaller businesses gain access to advanced AI tools, levelling the playing field and driving innovation across the industry.
By connecting data across touchpoints and aligning AI systems around a unified strategy, we’ve seen improvements in personalisation, creative performance, and media efficiency.
We’ve also discovered that when AI tools are properly briefed and context-aware, they don’t just execute tasks – they unlock new ways of thinking about customer experience, brand storytelling, and growth.
The future of marketing is intelligent, integrated and context-aware. It’s about reimagining the marketing toolkit so it’s fit for the future. The question is not whether your brand will embrace the change, but how prepared you are to do it well.
Are you ready to shape the future?
Andre Fick is head of enablement EMEA at VML.
