How to Turn AI Into a Growth Engine for Your Business

Sean Moran: We are on the precipice of one of the most dynamic times because of AI. But I don’t fear that AI is going to replace everybody.

Jeanniey Walden: I’m here with Sean Moran, the chief operating officer at Evergreen Media, and we’re talking about the changing landscape and what is actually happening inside the business lines. Sean, thanks so much for coming on the show.

Sean Moran: This was a joy. I was looking forward to speaking with you.

Jeanniey Walden: And what’s hilarious is we are doing this interview in Miami when we live two streets away from each other.

Sean Moran: Right near each other in good old Rumson, New Jersey, Genie. And I don’t think we’ve ever seen each other at home anywhere.

Jeanniey Walden: Not even at the grocery store on a Saturday. What does that speak to, the new world we’re living in where there’s less out and about? It’s great to see events like this where everybody is coming together to talk about the future of marketing, media, and advertising with such passion.

Sean Moran: There’s pressure for every business to improve margins and to engage with AI in some format, because it will improve margins and redefine the future, all while they’re innovating their business models to meet consumer needs. Everybody’s stretched. It sounds cliche, but it’s true. We talk to the CMOs, they want to increase reach. We talk to the CFOs, they’re looking for margin improvement. We talk to the CPOs, they’re looking for savings. So a lot of those functions are moving toward this concept of a chief growth officer.

Jeanniey Walden: I’m not trying to redefine people’s job descriptions, but that is the basis for it.

Sean Moran: When we’re talking to clients, you’re able to say, here’s a part of things that aren’t going great for you, and we can take that and put it into a place where it becomes part of your growth engine. I’ve been part of companies where you’re burning the furniture just to stay alive.

Jeanniey Walden: It’s not burning the furniture. You’re leading this transformation of how the industry thinks about what used to be called barter, and it’s dynamic and special because of what you just said. You’re not only solving the needs of the CMO, the CFO, and the CPO, you’re solving all three of them, as diverse as they seem, in one consistent way. That’s a strategic approach to transformation and growth that’s a hot button for every business right now.

Sean Moran: That’s the thing. You’re seeing so much change in how people create content and where AI is going. I know that’s a little scary in terms of what’s happening on the West Coast, and now every coast, where people are making content. But the companies that have been siloed in those buckets, and unfortunately that’s still true in a lot of places, the ones getting ahead of their category are the ones bringing those conversations internally together. As you walk into boardrooms and executive rooms, you often see that executive teams are siloed, driven by their own individual challenges, not seeing the alignment.

Jeanniey Walden: And the successful integration of AI in any business requires you to eliminate those silos, starting at the executive level. So AI, which isn’t necessarily related to what you’re doing, is going to be helpful in pulling that together and driving a more consistent conversation.

Sean Moran: It’s fascinating, because you start realizing what you can do with it. Every day now Claude’s launching something different. We are on the precipice of one of the most dynamic times because of AI, but I don’t fear that AI is going to replace everybody. My theory, and I know some people agree, is that the folks who learn how to direct AI are going to be at the next level of efficiency for companies.

Jeanniey Walden: When we come down here, or go to other conferences together, what’s never lost is the human, empathetic element.

Sean Moran: That is so key, and it’s making a resurgence, which is great.

Jeanniey Walden: It is. I see relationships becoming new again, the value of a relationship, and not a back-slapping 1975 salesperson.

Sean Moran: Someone who’s intellectual, who has passion and drive, who knows the technology but also realizes it’s a human-to-human discussion about whether we should work together. Being with AudiencePath and companies like this is so exciting. They didn’t exist 10 years ago, and yet we’re able to work with folks like that to bring our clients an even more targeted solution, with the data all clients want to know about.

Jeanniey Walden: This has been an epic conversation, Sean. Thank you so much for spending time with me. Maybe I’ll see you in town.

Sean Moran: We might see each other in town. Thanks for what you’re doing, Genie.

Jeanniey Walden: And that’s a wrap for today’s episode of Liftoff. I don’t know about you, but I am inspired. Follow us at Liftoff Show on every social channel, and make sure you catch our next episode.