Ifeoluwa Mibiola: The Marketing Edge AI Can’t Steal

How do you explain something that cannot be explained? The one that makes zero logical sense but refuses to leave you alone.

That unfamiliar feeling in your gut that makes zero logical sense but refuses to leave you alone. If you are reading this, you have likely felt this way more times than you can count. And I suspect you have ignored it just as often, especially in strategy sessions and client meetings.

Because how do you explain a “feeling” to your manager or clients demanding figures?

I remember the day I met Bozoma Saint John in person. I was elated. She had been one of my biggest inspirations for years. Bold, unapologetically creative, with a résumé that makes you question what you were doing with your life. Even after retiring from the corporate world and being inducted into the Marketing Hall of Fame, she continues to operate at a level that makes you sit up straight.

At the event, Boz primarily spoke about intuition. I was shocked when she revealed how much of her decision-making in her career, even at C-suite level, came down to gut feeling. She did not treat intuition as a side note to the data; she treated it as the core. From her experience, I understood that while data captures what happened, intuition captures what is about to happen.

The unspoken drift

We are in a time where data is everything. And rightly so. It empowers us with a deep understanding of customer actions, helps us create personalised experiences, and measures results. Look, data helps us move smarter and faster. And it has saved me on many occasions. Being data-driven is an edge in today’s market.

But I have started to notice that as data takes centre stage, intuition is gradually being pushed to the back seat. There is an unspoken belief creeping in that if it cannot be measured, it is not valuable. That if it does not show up in a report, it does not belong in the strategy. This belief is misguided. Some of the most impactful marketing decisions come from something data cannot fully capture: instinct, emotion, timing, and the art of reading the room.

Marketing is not just a left brain affair. It never was.

Jessica Apotheker, Managing Director at BGC Group, said something in her TED Talk that stayed with me: “We should not let AI take over our right brain.”

With AI advancing quickly and digital tools optimising everything, it is tempting to lean entirely on algorithms. The truth is, AI can generate and optimise, but it cannot truly feel. It cannot anticipate cultural shifts or recognise nuance the way your human brain can.

So how do we stop ignoring our intuition and start using it as a strategic tool? How do you sell a gut feeling to your clients?

You stop calling it magic and start treating it as rapid data processing. Your intuition is simply your brain recognising patterns faster than your conscious mind can articulate them.

Here is how you can lean into that edge as a marketer or communicator:

1. Do not be afraid to pitch an idea that is not data-backed yet.

Some of the best campaigns did not come from dashboards; they came from a hunch or a bold creative leap, so do not be afraid to pitch and own that idea. But be smart about how you frame it. Instead of saying, “I have a feeling,” say, “I have a hypothesis based on what I am observing in culture.” Let the intuition lead the idea, and allow the data to validate it later.

2. Notice when your gut is saying something different from the numbers.

If the metrics say one thing but something does not sit right, pause. Ask questions. Dig deeper. Data can tell you what users are doing, but it often fails to tell you why they feel a certain way. Your intuition is often a pointer to the missing context. If the numbers say go but the room feels like stop, trust the room.

3. Be in control. Use data and AI as tools, not directors.

They are here to support your creativity, not replace it. Use them to sharpen your ideas, validate your direction, or optimise your message, but do not let them dull your edge. No one sees the world exactly like you do. That is your strength. Use it. And that is something no AI or algorithm can replicate.

4. Build the muscle of your intuition.

Here is what many people do not know: intuition is not entirely mystical. It is often a product of your lived experience. It is not just instinct; it is built from observation, repetition, and self-awareness. So lean into your curiosity and creativity. The more you create, reflect, and learn, the more tuned your intuition becomes.

Trust the pulse

Whether you are early in your career or years into it, you can start tapping into your intuition now. Next time you are working on a brief or sitting in a brainstorm and something inside you says, “What if we tried this instead?” listen to it.

Trust the part of you that notices what others ignore. The part that has taste. That knows what feels off or what might spark a real human connection. That is your competitive advantage. Protect it. Practise it. Bring it into the room.

Because data is smart. But marketing is a human sport, and it needs heart.