Noor Aziz, CMO of GreyB: “When AI advances, creativity becomes the new human skill needed”

Noor Aziz, CMO of GreyB, makes an interesting claim in this interview – that we are “100 times better at marketing than we were 100 years ago”. That’s a tricky statement to back up with solid facts (and we’re pretty sure Henry Ford might have something to say), but we do 100% agree with the sentiment.

Indeed, imagine time travelling 20 years and showing your current marketing tools to an expert in 2004. Would any be recognisable? With the pace of change right now, accelerated by AI, it’s unlikely we will recognise whatever is being used in 2044.

Time for another quote from Noor: “When AI advances, creativity becomes the new human skill needed.” Again, we couldn’t agree more. AI can do huge amounts of heavy lifting, and will become more sophisticated, but ultimately it’s the person behind the prompts that matters.

It’s probably this out-of-the-box thinking that resulted in Noor quitting school early, but that hasn’t exactly slowed him down. As well as being CMO of GreyB, an Open Innovation Consulting Services Agency, he’s also the Founder of Purpose Performance Wear. This brand creates high-performance clothing designed for heat and humidity, so if you’re a cyclist, runner or triathlete you might just want to click on the link.

But not before you’ve read the full interview below, of course.

Why Dust or Magic? That stems from a quote by legendary American advertising creative director, William Bernbach: “An idea can turn to dust or magic, depending on the talent that rubs against it.” (And if you’re wondering where you’ve heard the name, Bernbach was the inspiration behind Don Draper of Mad Men fame.)

Could you please introduce yourself to our audience? What motivated you to pursue a career in marketing, and how did you embark on your journey in this field?

I’m a school drop-out who went on to pursue a degree in Fine Arts. Then went on to work as a Designer, Art Director and Group Creative Director in several global agencies, with the latest corporate role in PayPal as the APAC Head of User Experience. I also have a Doctor in Design (d.DES).

As the digital economy grew, I found myself spending the latter half of my career learning, and growing my knowledge and skills in marketing tech. I found love in it. This helped me bring closer the divides between branding, experience and demand.

What are your thoughts on the escalating integration of AI in digital marketing and its potential influence on the future of marketing, Martech and social media?

The advent of AI is an inevitable technological cycle just as codes and languages were during the start of the online economy. These are inherent in driving the economy forward and its growth as a result.

Marketing in all its forms is a concept, and this concept will forever remain a source of growth. Technology progresses and accelerates this concept forward. As new Martech gets more advanced, so too will human capabilities. New skills will be learnt and adopted. We are 100 times better at marketing than we were 100 years ago.

How do you ready yourself for an AI-driven landscape as a marketing leader? What new skills do you need?

AI cannot replace human creativity and the ability to deeply understand local and cultural nuances. While AI can be great at production, it still needs creative prompts to enable it to produce output of the right quality.

Film cameras have gotten better in the past 50 years but great storytelling still needs great filmmakers and creators.

When AI advances, creativity becomes the new human skill needed.

Looking ahead to 2024, what AdTech trends do you expect to dominate?

Content marketing. Here’s where AI can help to produce content – even ad creatives, at speed and scale. The talent here is the humans responsible for creating a generous amount of content from a few creative inputs.

Do you anticipate any significant disruptions in marketing and sales technology for 2024? If so, what?

There will be a huge expectation for marketing content to create itself. Such as email or CRM platforms smart enough to develop, write and launch campaigns based on the audience data given.

Related reading: AI copyright: should your business be worried?

Could you share some of your most noteworthy accomplishments that you take particular pride in?

I bootstrapped, launched and grew Purpose Performance Wear into a global brand purely on content and social. And currently, I am doing the same for GreyB’s open innovation consulting services.

What core values have played a pivotal role in shaping your approach to marketing and communication?

Human connection and purpose. People have an endless amount of choices to pick from, they ultimately will end up choosing something that they resonate with emotionally.

What major hurdles have you encountered as a marketing leader, and how did you surmount them?

Resource and budget. There’s never enough of both. Training is important. People and/or resources want growth and they want a reason to believe that what they are working on is worthwhile. Giving a reason, and taking time to teach or mentor them, is critical. This is what I do often.

How do you ensure you’re up-to-date with the latest marketing trends and technologies, and how do you integrate them into your strategies?

Reading about them. Then testing them out. I’ve failed more times during these tests than I can ever imagine. But the growth from the successes has been good.

Related reading: What will the digital landscape look like in 2028?

What piece of advice would you offer to fellow marketing leaders that has been particularly beneficial to you personally?

Human connection, understanding your audience, and always being present. I can’t emphasise enough my disagreement with a leadership style that is never present. You cannot lead from the back.

What Martech technology has your company recently embraced and what difference has it made to your business?

Weirdly enough, deep-level automation in CRM and marketing workflows. The more we understand our audience, the more we can automate a conversational system that feels human.