Every business leader today feels the pressure of keeping up with digital platforms, performance channels, and now AI. The temptation is to chase quick wins: a paid campaign here, an AI-generated article there. On paper, it looks efficient. In practice, it rarely delivers the sustainable growth leaders are hoping for.
As a marketing consultant, I’ve seen this pattern repeatedly. Companies assume that AI can quickly and cheaply generate campaigns or content. The reality is more complex. AI is not a silver bullet — it’s a tool. Creating strong AI-driven work takes time, effort, multiple platforms, and crucially, human input. Without that, the results are generic and forgettable.
The same applies to digital channels. Many businesses default to performance-led platforms — search ads, retargeting, and paid social — with the expectation of instant sales. These channels can work in the short term, but they rarely cut through without brand-building efforts alongside them. You can’t build sustainable long-term growth if your marketing mix is skewed to one side.
Recent data reinforces this. A 2024 Nielsen study found that 70% of brand lift comes from brand activity, not direct response. At the same time, McKinsey reports that companies combining brand and performance efforts grow their revenue 2.5 times faster than those that rely on performance alone. The message is clear: growth isn’t about choosing between brand and performance, but blending the two.
And this is where social and digital deserve a rethink. Too often, businesses treat these platforms as sales engines — a place to push offers and chase clicks. That’s a missed opportunity. Social and digital are most powerful when used to build trust, foster community, and deepen relationships. In the Middle East especially, where personal connections and reputation play a central role in business, digital should amplify human connection, not replace it. As Rad Arekat, founder of MESDMA (Middle East Social Media and Digital Association), puts it: “In the Middle East, business grows because of community and trust. AI and digital tools work best when they help people connect, not just speed things up. At MESDMA, we believe people come first, then automation. Technology helps us reach more people, but it’s our values, creativity, and understanding of local culture that turn online spaces into real communities. The most successful brands use AI and digital to support human connections, not replace them.”
Look at the way brands like Nike or Sephora use social: less as one-way advertising channels, more as community hubs. User-generated content, ambassador programmes, and interactive forums allow them to build loyalty that no paid campaign alone could buy.
This balance between efficiency and emotion applies to AI as well. AI can scale insights, personalisation, and even campaign testing. But people don’t become advocates because an algorithm targeted them. They buy in because they feel something: trust, belonging, or alignment with a brand’s values. Human creativity and empathy remain irreplaceable.
So what does this look like in practice? Three best practices stand out:
- Balance performance with brand building. Ring-fence part of your budget for brand storytelling, thought leadership, and partnerships — even under pressure for quick wins.
- Use social and digital for trust, not just sales. Design campaigns that spark conversation and community, and measure success by the quality of engagement, not just conversions.
- Put humans at the core of AI. Let AI handle the heavy lifting, but keep people responsible for narrative, cultural nuance, and emotional resonance.
The opportunity is not to abandon performance or technology, but to reframe how they’re used: not as substitutes for human connection, but as amplifiers of it.
The growth formula isn’t complicated. AI is here to stay. Digital is indispensable. But without brand building and without human connection, they’re just tactics. The businesses that thrive will be those that integrate all three — using AI and digital for efficiency and reach, while keeping human emotion at the heart of every decision.
