A new essential human role in PPC and digital marketing


AI has become more than just a tool: it has become an essential player in the professional world.

My 2019 book, “Digital Marketing in an AI World,” explores the transformative impact of AI on PPC, highlighting three crucial human roles: teacher, doctor, and pilot.

However, the emergence of generative AI requires a fourth role to further strengthen the synergy between human expertise and AI capabilities.

AI-Driven Digital Marketing: How Humans Make the Difference

Before introducing you to the fourth role, let me recap the three roles that I believe are still relevant in today’s era of generative AI:

Doctor PPC

The role of the physician emphasizes the human qualities of empathy, experience, and the ability to see the bigger picture. It is divided into two sub-roles:

  • Family doctor: Deeply understand customers and offer tailored solutions with empathy.
  • Forensic pathologist: Solve complex problems with critical thinking and intuition.

CPAP Driver

The pilot role maintains control and oversight across the PPC landscape, ensuring that everything runs smoothly and issues are quickly resolved. It is divided into two sub-roles:

  • Professional pilot: Manage and monitor PPC accounts, ensure smooth operation and resolve issues.
  • Fighter pilot: Aggressively pursue competitive opportunities and quickly adapt strategies.

PPC teacher

The role of the teacher focuses on continuing education and refinement of machine learning systems. It highlights the need for human input in the development and optimization of these systems, as well as the importance of understanding and guiding the system’s learning process:

  • Coach: Continuously refine machine learning systems, setting parameters and guiding their learning processes.
  • Optimizer: Ensure systems make intelligent adjustments based on nuanced information to meet specific needs.

These roles highlight the continued need for human expertise in PPC management, complementing the capabilities of machine learning.

Dig Deeper: 7 Ways to Use Generative AI in PPC

Presentation of the fourth role: The restorer

If generative AI is like a chef, it might produce an unsatisfactory meal if we simply ask it to “make something delicious” without specifying cuisine, dietary preferences, or available ingredients. A PPC restorer can help our generative AI chef reach its maximum potential.

A conservator, by nature, is a master in art and science. Running a successful restaurant involves a complex dance between culinary creativity, business acumen and customer engagement.

Just as a restaurateur’s vision and management supports a chef’s genius, human marketers play a critical role in ensuring AI has the best data (ingredients) and strategic direction (menu) .

For example, a human marketer, acting as a restaurateur, provides detailed prompts and context, such as “create a vegan Italian dish using seasonal vegetables and gluten-free pasta,” ensuring that the AI ​​can provide a meal that meets specific needs and expectations. .

This is what the role of a PPC restorer involves.

Data-driven decisions with a human touch

Just as PPC professionals fine-tune the data they share in prompts with systems like chatGPT, restaurateurs must leverage data to improve their business.

Data plays a crucial role in understanding customer preferences and optimizing supply chains, as well as managing reservations and marketing campaigns.

However, aside from the data used to set direction, execution is the key differentiator. The essence of a successful restaurant lies in its ambience, the personal touch of customer service and the creativity of its culinary offerings.

Likewise, PPC marketers must use data to make decisions while infusing creativity and personal vision into their campaigns.

Lessons from the kitchen: Adaptability and innovation

The restaurant industry is known for its fast pace and constant need for innovation.

Menus should be regularly updated, customer feedback should be promptly acted upon, and market trends should be closely monitored.

This agility and willingness to innovate are qualities PPC marketers must embrace to stay relevant in an AI-dominated landscape.

The restaurateur’s ability to quickly pivot and adapt to changing circumstances offers valuable lessons for digital marketing professionals, particularly in managing PPC campaigns where rapid adjustments and optimization are crucial.

Dig Deeper: How AI is changing the game for PPC account managers

Creating the Perfect Campaign: Storytelling and Authenticity

In an age where authenticity and storytelling are paramount, restaurateurs excel at creating unique dining experiences that resonate with their customers. Every dish tells a story and every restaurant has its own story.

I remember my days at Google, when every office building had its cafe where the restaurateur created a restaurant based on a vision, whether it was a cafe where no dish could use more than seven ingredients or ‘a restaurant where all the ingredients had to come from the Bay Area.

Likewise, PPC marketers should focus on creating authentic campaigns that create an emotional connection with their audience. A PPC restaurateur decides to use the principles of storytelling and authenticity to improve digital marketing campaigns, making ads more compelling and effective.

Optimize for success: precision and personalization

Successful restaurateurs know the importance of balancing a dish meticulously crafted by their chef with the need for customization based on the customer’s circumstances.

Likewise, PPC marketers must balance their own brand message with a touch of personalization to reach the right audience with the right message at the right time.

PPC restaurateurs adopt strategies to optimize PPC campaigns, alongside how restaurateurs fine-tune their offerings to meet various customer preferences and expectations.

Dig Deeper: 6 Ways to Use AI for Paid Search Account Restructuring

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Why the role of restorer is essential

When thinking about generative AI as a chef, able to help realize the grand vision of the perfect restaurant, we need to ensure that we play the role of restaurateur and guide the AI ​​chef to reach its full potential. potential.

There are some key elements to consider in our role as PPC restaurateurs.

Visionary leadership

In a restaurant, the restaurateur is responsible for the overall vision and strategic direction.

Likewise, in digital marketing, this role involves:

  • Define strategic direction for AI initiatives.
  • Identify new opportunities.
  • Understand market trends.
  • Align AI capabilities with long-term business goals.

For example, the PPC restorer can ask the AI ​​to use its analytical code writing capabilities, such as OpenAI’s Advanced Data Analysis (formerly Code Interpreter), to analyze past performance trend data of the company in order to anticipate future needs and market developments.

Data management

Just as a restaurateur seeks out the best ingredients, restaurateur PPC emphasizes the importance of high-quality data to help generative AI deliver better results.

AI systems, particularly generative AI, thrive on diverse and robust data sets. The restorer organizes, manages and refines data inputs to ensure that AI systems have the best possible information to work with, including data cleaning, validation and augmentation.

For example, the PPC restorer chooses which attachments to provide next to the prompt. They could provide the head of AI with brand guidelines and historical campaign performance data before asking them to write new headlines for the ads.

Ethical and responsible use of AI

With the growing influence of AI, ethical considerations have become paramount.

The PPC Conservator oversees the responsible use of AI, ensuring compliance with data privacy regulations and addressing ethical concerns. This includes:

  • Implementation of guidelines for the use of AI.
  • Bias monitoring.
  • Ensuring transparency in AI-based decisions.

As PPC restorers, we must act responsibly when sending private data to companies that operate LLMs.

For example, personal data should not be shared without users’ consent, and it should be clearly stated whether this data will be used to generate or teach future versions of the big language model.

Continuous improvement and innovation

A successful restaurateur is constantly looking for ways to innovate and improve. In digital marketing, this involves:

  • Continually evaluate AI performance.
  • Identify areas for improvement.
  • Explore new AI technologies and methodologies.

The restaurateur drives a culture of innovation, encouraging experimentation and iteration to stay ahead in the competitive landscape.

Dig Deeper: AI and Google advertising: what’s next?

The Human Element in AI-Enhanced Digital Marketing

As the digital marketing landscape evolves alongside the growing influence of AI, the introduction of the PPC Restorer role highlights the crucial need for human expertise to guide AI towards its full potential.

This role seamlessly blends data-driven decision-making, adaptability, storytelling, precision and ethical management, much like a restaurateur balancing the art and science of running a successful restaurant .

By adopting this fourth role, marketers can ensure that generative AI is not just a tool but a partner in crafting compelling, personalized and authentic campaigns.

Just as a real restaurateur enhances a chef’s creations, restaurateur PPC enhances AI capabilities, driving innovation and maintaining a competitive edge in digital marketing.

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