(This post was written by Guillaume Jourdan. Reach him via LinkedIn)
The great names in Luxury and Wine that we advise at VitaBella have not been slow to understand. Above and beyond pure Communication and Marketing strategy it is now necessary to make use of ultra-sophisticated operational tools that are powered by the latest technologies. And as we have seen in the course of 2018, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to give an extra edge to Press Relations has become paramount for Luxury and Wine brands.
Artificial Intelligence isn’t the enemy of Press Relations specialists. On the contrary, professionals in communication should consider AI as a precious aid that allows them to concentrate on the development and implementation of creative strategies in order to build brand awareness and community engagement. And it’s not, as is sometimes suggested, just a simple tool reduced to nothing more than: “Siri, find me 1) wine journalists 2) listed in descending order beginning with the most influential 3) who prefer to be contacted by e-mail with telephone follow up 4) based in London and Paris”
Do you need to define your targets (including influencers who are not journalists, but reach a wide public on social media) and determine what information and which news items are likely to interest them? Artificial Intelligence can help. Look for greater reach on the social networks…like, respond, follow, search? Artificial Intelligence can do it automatically. Write rough drafts of press releases based on brand guidelines? The results of first trials using Artificial Intelligence are astounding.
Here at VitaBella Luxury & Lifestyle we are just entering the adoption curve for AI. Just as we were in 2018 concerning the Big Data adoption curve. The future of Press Relations lies in the association of technology and human expertise. Artificial Intelligence can strengthen strategic thinking by offering a synthesis of all information, down to the tiniest detail. Evidently the objective is to propose, to journalists and opinion leaders, ideas, information and content that is ever more relevant and increasingly rewarding.
It’s not the first time that I have spoken of AI here. My prediction made on 1 January 2017: “In 2017, the most influential wine critic in the world will be neither a woman, nor a man!” already anticipated AI when it spoke of a revolutionary “winebot”. In May 2018 the magazine Meininger led with: “Wine bots are coming“. For this 1 January 2019, my prediction is that Artificial Intelligence will completely revolutionize Press Relations. There was a time when the Communications department or Press Officers would endlessly trawl papers and magazines in search of new ideas. Then came Big Data. Today there is the disruptive approach of Artificial Intelligence. Of course, this is only the beginning, but it sets the tone for this New Year 2019, full of promise but also full of challenges in the world of Luxury and Wine. Isn’t life great in 2019 ?
(You can reach Guillaume Jourdan via LinkedIn)
