20/05/2025

From watering can to precision tool:
How the mix of customer insights, MarTech, AI, and Content Supply Chains redefines creative communication

(Generative) AI Content Supply Chain Blog article

Author: Tristan Reckhaus

Targeted, creative, and efficient communication — what once sounded contradictory is now possible in the age of intelligent content supply chains. Artificial intelligence (AI) detects patterns, creates content, anticipates customer needs, and relieves the burden on marketing teams. Those who rethink their approach can now turn complexity into relevance.

The golden days of one-size-fits-all campaigns are over. Target audiences are no longer homogeneous groups; they now consist of finely segmented personas with specific interests, needs, and usage contexts. It’s more important than ever to not just reach audiences but to truly understand them. Anyone who wants to stay visible must deliver hyper-personalised content at the right time through the right channel — ideally in a creative, relevant, and data-driven way.

Modern MarTech tools enable exactly that through a new combination of technology, organisation, and creativity: the intelligent content supply chain.

Content Supply Chain: everyone has one — but is it optimised?

Marketing leaders are facing a structural challenge: Content needs to be produced faster, distributed across more channels, and appear increasingly personalised. Traditional campaign logic reaches its limits here. Today’s audiences behave like many small markets. This is fundamentally changing marketing from broad storytelling to data-driven micro-moments.

Essentially, anyone who creates and publishes content has a content supply chain. The question is: where is the untapped potential, and what hidden treasures can be uncovered?

The content supply chain is far more than a buzzword. It represents a seamless system where content is planned, created modularly, orchestrated, distributed, and analysed. Modern tools like Magnolia CMS or Contentful allow content to be dynamically tailored to audience needs — quickly and consistently across all channels.

AI as an Architect: from Persona to Tone of Voice

AI is no longer just a content assistant: it’s the key to relevance. Systems like watsonx.ai analyse behavioural patterns, preferences and usage data in real time. The result: dynamically generated personas that continuously learn — a central component of targeted, data-driven communication.

These AI models can be “primed” to not only generate relevant content, but also set the appropriate tone, brand style, and emotional appeal for the target audience. For instance, a social media post for Gen Z will sound different from a white paper for B2B decision-makers, even though both are based on the same data.

Important: AI does not replace creativity, it enhances it. Humans remain the idea generators and curators. AI automates variations, identifies patterns, and provides options. The final decision still rests with the team — who gain more time for true creative depth.

METRO & MOL – High-Impact IBM iX Cases

IBM iX implemented a customer data platform for METRO using Adobe technology that harmonises interaction, transaction, and master data across channels. The result: a shift from traditional campaigns to fully automated 1:1 campaign management. Relevance, speed, and business success increased measurably.

The MOL Group also demonstrates how Salesforce-based MarTech can drive real business innovation through data-driven customer engagement, new touchpoints and an optimised journey, which significantly improved conversion rates and customer satisfaction.

Facing the challenges

As much potential as new systems may offer, they also call for change. Three recurring challenges that keep coming up in practice:

Data Quality & Data Protection: AI requires reliable data. Companies need to develop data strategies, build governance, and ensure legal compliance (e.g., GDPR).
New Roles Within Teams: Intelligent systems transform workflows. Copywriters, project managers, and analysts need new skills, from prompting to tool operation to data-driven decision-making.
Technical Integration: A high-performing MarTech architecture must integrate into existing systems. This requires collaboration between marketing, IT, legal, and experienced partners who keep the big picture in mind.

How IBM helps

Through enablement programmes, tool integrations, change management, and training for new roles. Our goal: to embed technology within the organisation — strategically, human-centred, and hands-on.

Creativity becomes scalable

The fear that AI will replace creativity is unfounded. It just amplifies it. An intelligent content supply chain takes over repetitive tasks like versioning, translation or format adaptation. Teams gain more time for ideas, storytelling and real differentiation.

With the IBM Marketing Workbench, we show what this looks like in practice: AI-powered assistants help interpret briefings, compile content modules, and generate brand-compliant variations. All within seconds — but always under human supervision.

Conclusion: MarTech only works If people remain at the centre

MarTech, AI and content supply chains are transforming marketing. However, they only succeed if technology, organisation, and strategy work together. It’s not just about speed and scale, but also about authenticity and tone. The people we communicate with are at the heart of it all, just like the ones creating the content.

The future belongs to those who combine technology with empathy and create content not just for target groups, but for people.