“We’ve Been Quietly Building AI Before It Was Called AI”

JENNIFER CHASE, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at SAS, shares how she is sharpening the brand’s message in a cluttered tech market and embracing GenAI with intent in this interview with BW Businessworld’s Noor Fathima Warsia

- 

Marketing a tech brand is more competitive than ever. How are you navigating this at SAS, particularly in the crowded AI space?

Historically, our focus at SAS was primarily on performance marketing, working at the lower end of the funnel and maintaining a low profile about who we were beyond our direct customer base. However, in today’s environment, especially with the surge of interest and hype surrounding AI, we have come to realise how crucial it is for a broader audience to understand who we are and what we stand for truly.

There is a lot of noise out there, and many companies are saying similar things. For us, it became imperative to make our brand message more visible, what our values are, how we view AI, and the kind of outcomes we aim to achieve. We have been in this space for nearly 50 years, long before AI was even recognised as such, starting with statistics and analytics. We have been quietly building it before it was called AI. That experience gives us credibility and a deeper understanding of what responsible, effective AI means. We want to ensure that the message comes through clearly, not just in what we say, but in how we present ourselves.

When everyone in tech is talking about the same themes -- AI, trust, transformation -- how do you remain differentiated?