we’re using AI deliberately
At Unicorn, we’ve been integrating AI into how we work across many areas of our work. Not to replace thinking and our own creativity, but to enhance it. You might worry that marketers are using AI to churn out content, and I’m sure some are doing so, but we’re trying our best to use it in a smart way to make the content we do produce even better.
Here’s a genuine look at what that actually means in practice.
we’ve come a long way!
Wow, haven’t we come a long way since the ‘pope in a puffer jacket’? Here’s the very first thing that we, as a business, generated using AI back in March 2023.
This was just for fun and immediately informed our choices to leave AI alone for the time being, ha ha! This was supposed to be a unicorn in a puffer jacket… enough said!
But these days, AI has thankfully developed in to something useful as long as you’re willing to put the required time and expertise into it.
claude is a unicorn, sort of…
We chose to subscribe to Claude as our main AI solution for various reasons, one of which is ethical; it’s built on Anthropic’s constitutional AI model.
We don’t just open it up and ask it to “write us a blog post.” Instead, we’ve invested real time in building specialised projects, prompts, and been very intentional about how it understands the way we work and what our clients need. This allows us to work with Claude as a knowledgeable collaborator, rather than a content vending machine. Think of it less like using a calculator and more like briefing a colleague who happens to have read everything ever published in your client’s industry.
For idea generation and creative inspiration, Claude is genuinely useful. When we’re in early-stage thinking on a campaign, or trying to crack a brief that isn’t quite clicking, we use it to rapidly explore directions, challenge assumptions, and get outside our own heads. I’ll be honest (please don’t come for me, robots!) it rarely gives us the idea — but it regularly gives us inspiration that sparks the right one.
translating the technical, without losing the plot
One of the most valuable things we do with AI is help bridge the gap between our clients and their audiences.
A lot of the businesses we work with are operating in technical or specialist sectors. They know their stuff inside out, but sometimes that’s precisely the problem. When you’re deep in the detail of your own product or service, it’s genuinely hard to step back and communicate it in a way that lands for someone who isn’t an expert.
We use Claude to help us digest complex technical information: product specs, industry documentation, service detail, and reshape it into messaging that’s clear, accurate and compelling to the target audience. The expertise stays intact. The technical jargon (mostly) doesn’t.
checking our work, researching audiences, and generally keeping us honest
AI has also become a useful quality layer in our process. We use it to sense-check copy, identify gaps in an argument, and flag anything that might not land the way we intended. It’s not a replacement for a skilled editor, but it’s a very useful second pair of eyes.
On the research side, we use AI to help us build a richer picture of target audiences: what they care about, what language they use, what content they’re likely to engage with. That feeds directly into sharper, more considered strategy, and ultimately, more effective work for our clients.
beyond the words: 3D, video, and content at scale.
Our use of AI isn’t limited to text. We’re also using it to generate 3D templates and assets for design projects — giving us a faster route to high-quality visual concepts that would previously have required significantly more resource to produce.
For video content, we’re using AI-generated voiceovers. Not as a permanent replacement for human talent where that’s the right choice, but as a practical, cost-effective option for clients who need polished video output without a full production budget.
And for clients embarking on larger content projects (think website copy amounting to 20,000 words or more!) we’re using AI to generate structured first drafts at scale, giving them a solid, organised starting point that our team then refines and elevates. It’s the difference between starting with a blank page and starting with something you can actually work with.
what this means for our clients
Better work. Faster turnaround. And budgets that go further.
That’s the straightforward version. The slightly longer version is that by integrating AI thoughtfully into our workflows, we’re able to spend more of our time, and our clients’ budget, on the things that actually require human expertise: strategy, relationships, creative judgement, and the kind of nuanced understanding of a brand that no prompt can shortcut.
We’re not using AI to do less. We’re using it to do more of what matters.
could AI help your marketing too?
If you’re a small or medium-sized business who has tried AI marketing and not seen decent results, it’s likely because AI marketing needs to come via an AI marketer. Someone who knows how to get the most out of it, and has a solid understanding of marketing strategy to do so. Don’t settle for AI slop, your business deserves better!
So if you’re wondering whether there’s a smarter, more efficient way to approach your marketing and communications, we’d love to have that conversation with you!
Whether it’s developing a content strategy, producing a campaign, sorting out your brand, or just figuring out where to start: we bring the experience, the thinking, and yes, the tools (AI included) to make it happen.
…by the way, yes AI wrote most of this for us!
Why not pop your name down for a free 30-minute consultation to find out more about how we work with businesses just like yours?
By Jennifer
By Rosie