By: AK Infinite

The rise of generative AI has introduced a period of rapid change (and heightened anxiety) for marketing leaders. Once confined to experimental contexts, AI is now central to how modern campaigns are strategized, executed, and maintained. But while the potential is enormous, so is the uncertainty.

Marketing teams are facing new demands: faster output, sharper targeting, and tighter budgets. Yet many are still trapped in the early stages of AI adoption, unsure how to scale their efforts with a massive pile of new tools and capabilities.

“Marketing teams knew change was coming,” says Robin Emiliani, founder and CEO of Catalyst Marketing. “What they’re less clear on is how to respond efficiently.”

When Emiliani launched Catalyst, she wasn’t aspiring to create an “AI agency.” She was building a growth marketing firm designed to keep pace with shifting buyer behavior and overwhelmed CMOs who didn’t have time for bloated retainers or vague results. But as the market evolved, so did her approach, and AI integration and optimization is now a central value proposition to the company’s approach to marketing. 

The Future Is Human-First—But AI-Enabled

Catalyst now supports B2B and B2C clients navigating the challenges of modern marketing: compressed timelines, pressure to prove ROI, and a rapidly expanding tech ecosystem. For Emiliani, the key is not replacing humans—but empowering them.

“It’s not about AI replacing marketers,” she says. “It’s about marketers who can use AI to work faster, smarter, and more creatively.”

She’s quick to point out that technology alone doesn’t solve anything. Her team regularly audits client tech stacks bloated with half-deployed tools and disconnected systems.

“What’s missing is fluency,” she says. “Marketers don’t just need tools. They need to understand how to apply those tools in ways that create real business impact.”

Which is why Catalyst begins every AI enablement project with the same priority: people.

Train the Team, Then Build the Stack

Emiliani is clear: AI transformation should start with enablement, not implementation. That means investing in people first.

“Start with the humans,” she says. “Train your (client) teams. Upskill them with broad integrations. Give them permission to experiment and space to build confidence.”

Once teams are ready, Catalyst helps clients design custom AI stacks built around actual workflow needs—not hype. From audience segmentation to content iteration, Emiliani’s team integrates AI in ways that enhance—not replace—core marketing processes.

Recent campaigns have used AI to streamline audience research, generate and refine content, automate testing, and repackage longform media into dozens of multichannel assets—without losing a human touch.

But Emiliani warns against defaulting to the hype.

“Marketers need to treat AI like a partner, not a panacea,” she says. “If your foundation is weak, AI won’t fix it. But if you have clarity on your goals and the right talent in place? It can be transformative.”

Iterating with Velocity Will Beat Obsessive Planning 

So where should marketers start?

Emiliani offers this advice: “Don’t wait for a full roadmap. Start learning. Start testing. Talk to your team. Look at where you’re spending time manually and ask: is there a smarter way to do this?”

That boldness—willingness to learn publicly, to iterate in motion, to admit what you don’t know—is what Emiliani believes will separate the leaders from the laggards.

“AI isn’t a trend. It’s infrastructure,” she says. “And the marketers who embrace that—even when they’re unsure—will be the ones who come out ahead.”

At Catalyst, that mindset isn’t just a strategy. It’s survival.

“In this new landscape, speed matters. But clarity matters more,” she says. “The marketers who win aren’t the ones who shout the loudest about AI. They’re the ones using it with precision, purpose, and just enough courage to keep moving forward.”