Balancing your brand and AI

In May 2025, the University of Kent hosted another inspiring Kent Business Summit. Oak Creative was there to stay connected to Kent’s challenges, opportunities and ideas. AI was the hot topic and we have summarised a few of the key insights of balancing AI and your brand.

AI is no longer a futuristic add-on, it’s embedded in how businesses operate, market, and grow. For SMEs, this isn’t about keeping up with tech giants but about using AI practically to boost efficiency. This offers some incredible benefits to the customer experience. Whether it’s streamlining operations or predicting customer behaviour, AI tools are now accessible and scalable.

When it comes to marketing, AI can deliver impressive outputs but it cannot replace strategy. Without clear objectives, strong brand foundations and customer insight, AI risks becoming noise not value. Authenticity still matters. Brands must lead with their voice and story because that’s what connects.

As one speaker put it, “AI wants good content. But great content still needs a human touch.” That means building human-led strategies that use AI to enhance, not replace, your creativity. AI might write a blog, but it needs human input to make it resonate.

Finally, as traditional search declines, websites must be optimised for AI discoverability, with smart structures and meaningful content.

The key takeaway? As the generation who will define how AI is used, we must lead with responsibility and originality. AI is a powerful tool but it’s the people behind the business that make it matter and who can ultimately facilitate brands to flourish in their marketplace.

www.oakcreative.co.uk