Generative AI in maritime marketing: What to do now

AI is moving fast, and maritime marketers cannot afford to sit still. As Andrew Davis explains during the #MIMMatters podcast, AI is powerful but humans still steer the ship. He refers to two of the common AI misconceptions, AI is taking our jobs and that too many people are treating AI like its google/ a search engine. The key message Andrew reiterates, Don't be scared of it.

(This article was produced using an AI Transcription tool & a little help from some humans). But don’t let that put you off! There are some absolute gems here, that will help you take control of your Marketing and make effective use of AI.

This article explores what generative AI really means for modern marketing, showing how it shapes your daily tasks, your workflow, and your results. You’ll find clear, simple actions and practical steps you can put into practice straight away. Keep an eye out for ‘Quick Activity’ sections throughout.

1. Understand the Eight Ways Marketers Use AI

During the #MiMMatters podcast (with our wonderful host Rebecca) Andrew says almost everything we do with AI fits into eight simple buckets. These buckets are what help us to understand what AI is for.

The eight buckets include:
• Content generation
• Idea generation
• Summarising
• Analysing
• Optimising
• Asking questions
• Educating and Researching
• Reformatting

Quick activity
Pick one bucket and ask your AI tool:
“Show me three better ways to handle tasks in this bucket.”

2. Focus Less on Perfect Content and More on Strong Distribution

Andrew is clear throughout the #MIMMatters podcast that content is not king but distribution is! A brilliant message means nothing if no one sees it. It’s also important to remember that AI Isn't just about generating ideas, it can help to amplify reach and improve conversion – this ensures that your content doesn’t just exist, but it performs. To strengthen your distribution post more often to gather useful data, improve your LinkedIn conversations and direct messages and create a simple lead magnet to capture emails. Then build a weekly routine to keep your distribution consistent and effective. Quick activity
Choose one post this week, create five versions and use AI to test different structures and captions.

3. Keep Your Human Voice at the Centre

AI can make content polished – sometimes too polished. Andrew warns that brands risk becoming too polished, which erodes trust. People believe in (and love) human stories, imperfections and emotion. Don’t forget to keep the human heart of your brand front and center. You can do this by adding personal touches, using natural language and most importantly use AI only to polish, not replace your voice.

Quick activity
Record a short voice note about a challenge or lesson.
Ask AI to turn it into a post without removing your tone.

4. Create Simple AI Rules for Your Team

AI models learn like humans. They absorb whatever you put into them and rewrite it through their own lens. This can create risks around data, privacy and IP. In his #MiMMatters episode, Andrew stresses the importance of building AI policies now just like social media policies within companies

To get simple AI guidelines in place for your team, start by creating a one‑page Do and Do Not list that clearly outlines how AI should be used. Decide what information must never be shared with any AI tool, choose one main AI platform to keep everyone consistent, and schedule a quarterly review so your AI rules stay current as the technology evolves.

Quick activity
Write down five types of information you handle.
Label each: Safe to share, Share with caution or Never share.

5. Prepare for the Next Big Shifts: Browser Wars and AI Agents

Andrew believes two huge changes are coming soon:

Browser wars – The browser is becoming the hub for AI. Whoever controls it controls the data that powers intelligent systems

AI agents – Systems that do tasks for you instead of just answering questions. Andrew expects agents to become everyday practice by around 2027.

Remember to:

Watch how AI tools integrate with browsers
Test early AI agents
Build simple, repeatable workflows agents can follow in future

Quick activity
Ask:
“Create a list of marketing tasks an AI agent could handle for me in the next 12 months.”

6. Act During the Golden Window

In the #MIMMatters podcast with Rebecca, Andrew describes this as a rare window of opportunity where early adopters can make significant progress because the AI landscape is still open. It is not saturated and not restricted by heavy regulation. His advice to marketers is to take advantage of this window by setting a focused 12‑week AI learning sprint, choose one workflow to rebuild using AI from start to finish. Then track every instance where AI saves time or improves quality.

Quick activity
Ask AI:
“Create a simple 12‑week plan that helps me master AI in my maritime marketing role.”

Want the accompanying checklist and more?

Our AI Marketing Checklist is available exclusively for MiMbers.

If you want tools like this, practical guidance you can use straight away and access to expert‑led sessions designed for real maritime teams, then now is the perfect time to join the #MiMCrowd.

Join the #MiMCrowd and become a MiMber to unlock:

The full AI Marketing Checklist
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Access to masterclasses with experts like Andrew Davis
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