Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Creative Workflows in Digital Marketing: A Qualitative Case Study in the Hospitality Industry

Abstract

The rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has had a transformative effect on digital marketing, enhancing the efficiency and flexibility of creative content development. In the hospitality industry, the utilisation of AI has seen a marked increase in its application to marketing communication activities, including brainstorming, copywriting, visual concept development, and content planning. Despite the extensive research conducted on the utilisation of AI in marketing automation and content generation, there remains a paucity of studies that examine the integration of AI into organisational creative workflows. Such integration is imperative to ensure the maintenance of communication quality and brand consistency, despite the incorporation of AI. The present study investigates the integration of AI into creative workflows for digital marketing in the hospitality industry using a qualitative single-case study. The research was conducted at a four-star hotel in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, with data collected through semi-structured interviews, supported by document analysis and observation of digital marketing content. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that AI has the capacity to support multiple stages of the creative workflow, including brainstorming, copywriting, visual concept development, trend exploration, and content planning. However, it should be noted that AI-generated outputs are not published directly. Instead, they are subjected to a systematic review by the Marketing Communication team and a final evaluation by the General Manager. This process is intended to ensure that the content aligns with organisational objectives, brand identity, and communication quality. The findings demonstrate that AI functions as a collaborative creative support technology rather than as a substitute for human creativity. This study makes a significant contribution to the existing body of literature on digital marketing. It demonstrates that the organisational value of AI lies in its integration into structured creative workflows, combining technological capabilities with human expertise.