AI is transforming the way marketing teams operate, but it’s not about replacing humans. It’s about amplifying creativity, accelerating insights, and giving marketers the freedom to focus on what truly matters: storytelling and big ideas.

In episode three of Retail Intelligence in Action, Pri Shumate, who has shaped marketing for iconic brands including the Miami Dolphins, Columbia Sportswear, Airbnb and Nike joins Ometria’s Djalal Lougouev to reveal how AI is transforming marketing and creative strategy in action. 

Let’s dive into the key themes they discussed:

From gut instinct to data-backed decisions

At the F1 MiamiGP, Pri’s team used AI to pressure-test instincts and answer questions that would normally take weeks of analysis including: 

• Use cases for attending
• Size of the audience
• Potential of the audience
• Influence of the audience

AI could quickly answer these questions, revealing that attendees valued networking opportunities at the event. This gave the team the confidence to pivot to a product marketing strategy that spotlighted these moments within a luxury Formula One experience. Validating hunches in minutes empowered them to act fast, iterate, and experiment.

“It wasn’t changing the team, it was changing how they worked. We had a tool that could answer questions instantly and free up brain space,” 

—Pri Shumate, Former CMO of the Miami Dolphins, F1 Miami Grand Prix, and Miami Open 

Advice for marketers: Use AI to test assumptions and validate your ideas quickly. Turning intuition into evidence-backed decisions allows your team to move faster, iterate boldly, and experiment without fear.

Agency relationships will evolve, not disappear

Pri and Djalal also discuss AI reshaping the role of agencies in retail marketing. Pri sees creative partners as essential for landing the big, disruptive ideas. Once an idea exists, AI accelerates scaling, execution, and iteration.

“The jury’s still out on whether AI can create the big idea, but once you have it, AI makes everything else faster.”

—Pri Shumate, Former CMO of the Miami Dolphins, F1 Miami Grand Prix, and Miami Open 

Advice for marketers: Redefine agency collaboration. Let them focus on creative vision and disruptive ideas, while AI handles scaling, optimization, and operational execution.

Creativity takes center stage

With AI handling manual and analytical tasks, marketers’ value increasingly lies in selecting insights and developing big ideas.

“AI can deliver a million insights but it takes a human to say: this is the one, this is the big idea.”

—Pri Shumate, Former CMO of the Miami Dolphins, F1 Miami Grand Prix, and Miami Open 

Brand management, strategic thinking, and creative leadership are more essential than ever. By automating analysis and operational tasks, AI gives marketers the space to focus on storytelling, insight, and genuine customer connection, the aspects machines can’t replicate.

Advice for marketers: Treat AI as a partner that surfaces insights, but always maintain human judgment. Prioritize, interpret, and select insights that align with your brand strategy and customer experience.

Practical advice for marketers

For retail marketers looking to navigate the AI landscape, Pri and Djalal offer practical advice:

• Treat AI as a thought partner to validate ideas and accelerate decision-making.
• Use AI to turn intuition into data-backed insights, enabling faster experimentation.
• Focus human effort on creativity, strategic thinking, and storytelling.
• Collaborate with agencies for big ideas, while letting AI handle execution and scaling.
• Make data accessible across teams to improve cross-functional alignment.
• Iterate boldly: AI gives confidence to move fast and test new approaches.

Watch or listen to the full episode:

If you’re curious to see how AI can help your team build more authentic, meaningful connections at scale, explore Architect AI from Ometria.

Want more insights like this? Explore the full Retail Intelligence in Action series, every episode offers a fresh perspective on how AI is reshaping retail.