How to use AI to reduce your marketing costs and amplify results

Your 2026 budget just got tighter. Your to-do list just got longer. And your team is already stretched thin.

Marketing leaders across New Zealand and Australia are facing the same reality: deliver more impact with less resource, or watch competitors pull ahead.

AI isn't just a productivity hack. It's a complete reset of how marketing gets done. The brands that move now will dominate their categories while others are still debating whether to "experiment" with ChatGPT. This isn't theory. It's happening right now.

For one focused hour, marketing strategist Steve Ballantyne will show you exactly how forward-thinking Kiwi brands are slashing costs, accelerating timelines, and producing work that actually performs without adding headcount, inflating budgets, or sacrificing quality.

Key takeaways 

You'll walk away with battle-tested strategies you can implement immediately:

• Faster customer research and brand strategy using AI – Cut weeks of research down to days, uncover insights competitors miss, and build strategies grounded in real data, not guesswork.
• How AI-generated images and video are slashing production costs – Real examples of brands producing scroll-stopping creative in-house for a fraction of traditional costs.
• Why your own Custom GPT is a non-negotiable – Save 10+ hours per week on copywriting, keep your brand voice razor-sharp across every channel, and stop paying $150/hour for basic content drafts.
• How to build simple AI-powered apps and tools for your campaigns with no coding required – Create interactive quizzes, calculators, lead magnets, and customer-facing tools in days instead of waiting weeks (and spending thousands) on developers.

Who should attend:

• Marketing managers and directors managing tight budgets and small teams
• Brand leaders navigating organisational change or resource constraints
• Founders and business owners wearing the marketing hat (and tired of it)
• Anyone who's been told to "do more with less" one too many times

If you're running a lean marketing operation or steering a brand through uncertain times, this session will fundamentally change how you approach 2026.

About the presenter:

Steve Ballantyne
Founder of Brand IQ 

Steve Ballantyne is a brand strategist and founder of Brand IQ, a creative agency specialising in AI-powered marketing. He’s created over 25,000 images using Midjourney and has developed imagery for brands across New Zealand and Australia. Steve also teaches AI-powered storytelling at the New Zealand Marketing Association and the Australian Marketing Institute - helping small teams punch above their weight with big brand ideas.

*This course qualifies for 4 CPD points under the AMI’s Certified Practicing Marketer program.