In 2025, AI becomes a key part of creative teams, speeding up content creation and ideation. Brands like Zalando cut production time and costs using AI-generated visuals and copy. Prompt engineering guides AI to maintain brand voice. Experts warn AI lacks originality and emotional insight, so human oversight remains vital to keep creativity authentic and strategic.
In 2025, artificial intelligence (AI) has moved beyond a simple tool to become an integral part of creative teams across the UK. From agencies in London to in-house marketing departments in Manchester, generative AI technologies such as ChatGPT, Midjourney, and Runway now support tasks ranging from writing social media captions to producing full video campaigns. Liam Smith, a branding expert at Aura Print, explains how these tools help creative teams work faster, explore more ideas, and operate around the clock.
One notable example is the European clothing brand Zalando, which recently launched an entire product campaign using AI-generated visuals and copy. With just one strategist maintaining brand tone and consistency, Zalando reduced the production time for imagery from six to eight weeks down to three or four days, while cutting costs by 90%.
AI’s strengths and the new role of prompt engineering
AI excels at generating batch content, developing initial concepts, and rapid iteration. Marketers employ GPT models to draft product descriptions, while GPT-4 Vision and Midjourney assist in visualising campaign ideas. These tools are most effective during ideation sprints, freeing human creatives to focus on broader, strategic thinking.
Agencies are now hiring prompt engineers—specialists skilled at guiding AI through precise instructions. As Aura Print highlights, prompt engineering is more about understanding communication than coding. It involves knowing a brand’s tone, audience, and identity to craft prompts that produce on-brand and useful outputs. The right prompt can unlock a visual style or caption that fits the brand, while the wrong one results in generic and uninspired content.
Balancing automation with human judgment
Despite AI’s growing role, it remains a remix tool rather than a source of original creativity. It lacks cultural awareness, emotional insight, and true originality. Liam Smith warns: “If you’re outsourcing your voice, what’s left of you?”
AI can quickly generate campaigns and save time by handling repetitive tasks, repurposing content, or producing variations. It even aids creatives in mocking up print layouts or testing colour palettes rapidly. However, it cannot replace the role of a creative director who understands a brand’s values and market nuances.
“The smart teams in 2025 are blending automation with strategy. They let AI fill the blank page, but they still decide what story to tell. Prompt engineering is huge, not because it’s technical, but because it’s strategic. You need to know your voice to teach it. If brands rely too heavily on AI, they risk sounding the same. The goal isn’t to remove humans. It’s to remove the busywork, so people can focus on ideas that actually resonate,” says Liam Smith.
In the UK’s dynamic creative landscape, generative AI is a powerful ally, but it still requires direction, purpose, and emotional intelligence—qualities only human creatives provide. The future is not man versus machine; it is vision-led teams using intelligent tools to tell better stories. Ensuring that the brand story remains authentic and human is essential.
About Liam Smith
Liam Smith is a branding expert specialising in design trends and print materials. He offers insights on art, space, and interior design with a focus on aesthetics and functionality.
About Aura Print
Aura Print provides high-quality print materials aimed at helping businesses and individuals create a memorable impact. The company emphasises innovative design, sustainable materials, and expert craftsmanship, redefining print’s role in modern housing, interior spaces, and craft materials.
Himani Verma is a seasoned content writer and SEO expert, with experience in digital media. She has held various senior writing positions at enterprises like CloudTDMS (Synthetic Data Factory), Barrownz Group, and ATZA. Himani has also been Editorial Writer at Hindustan Time, a leading Indian English language news platform. She excels in content creation, proofreading, and editing, ensuring that every piece is polished and impactful. Her expertise in crafting SEO-friendly content for multiple verticals of businesses, including technology, healthcare, finance, sports, innovation, and more.
