Craft's mission goes public, with a focus on the human touch

We've officially opened our doors in recent weeks, with a mission of keeping human creativity at the heart of strategic brand building.

Unveiled by our founder Tom Walters, Craft has been launched with the mission of keeping human intelligence at the heart of brand storytelling in an industry that is witnessing rapid transformation from artificial intelligence.

Tom has been a marketing practitioner for over thirteen years, including a ten year stint in agencies - most notably as a Director of Nottingham-based creative agency, The Dairy.

While still only in his mid-30s, Tom has already witnessed dramatic changes in a relatively short space of time, including a growing reliance on AI which he sees as both positive and negative.

“There's no doubt that AI has supported the marketing industry with becoming smarter and more integrated,” he explains. “It’s embedded within many of the tools we use to streamline the way we work, while revolutionising the ways in which we can target and engage consumers,”

“However it also has its drawbacks,” he adds. “We’re now seeing a glut of AI-generated content flooding our channels, which de-values the work of qualified marketers and runs the risk of brands sacrificing their values to save money in the short-term, with costly errors coming back to bite in the long-term,”

Tom’s mission is to maintain integrity in an industry he loves, and prioritise what he calls the “intangibles” of brand building, marketing, and business relationships.

"Craft was born out of my deep rooted values of honesty, creativity and relationship building,” he continues. “I believe that truly successful brands only thrive when strategies, content, and partnerships, are born out of human creativity, innovation and personalities,”

“Our industry is heavily regulated and businesses must be careful when sharing content generated by algorithms. Whether it’s digital destinations, words or graphics, everything should undergo rigorous quality assurance to avoid costly mistakes in the long-term,”

He continues, “We’re also at the stage where consumers are wise to AI-generated content and are able to spot the signs. This risks breaking the trust that exists between purchasers and the brands they love. When a relationship no longer feel genuine, buyers will look elsewhere,”

He continues, “I think this is the perfect time for the industry to pause, and begin to talk more openly about how we retain authenticity in our practices. In doing so, we can retain the value that qualified marketers bring to the table. I always say to people that they wouldn’t rely on AI for legal representation, so they shouldn’t think of marketing as being any different,”

Tom appreciates that AI adoption is inevitable, and the right path in many instances. But he only sees the relationship between brands and consumers remaining viable through what he calls “HI”, or “human intelligence”.

“Human beings naturally need to be around, and interact with, other people. We need a sense of connection to avoid feeling isolated. Craft’s purpose is to spark those connections, both between our clients and their brands, and across the local business community. Put simply, we want to bring back the excitement that raw creativity has to offer.”

To find out more about Craft and to speak to our Crafters about your next campaign or project, visit www.craftbrand.co.uk.