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Bringing AI to Your Campus Interview Series

An interview with Jim Lecinski

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Jim Lecinski

Jim Lecinski, Clinical Professor of Marketing at Northwestern University

Jim Lecinski is a Clinical Professor of Marketing at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, recognized for his expertise in marketing strategy and omnichannel marketing. Awarded Kellogg’s Professor of the Year in 2022, he brings over 30 years of industry experience, including 12 years at Google as Vice President of Customer Solutions for the Americas. Jim is best known for his influential book Winning the Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT), which reshaped modern marketing approaches and has reached over 300,000 readers globally. His latest work, The AI Marketing Canvas, published by Stanford University Press in 2021, offers a structured approach to integrating AI in marketing and is celebrated as a top AI and business book.

In this interview

In this installment of Bringing AI to Campus: An Interview Series, we had the opportunity to speak with Jim Lecinski, Clinical Professor of Marketing at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Jim brings over 30 years of industry experience to the classroom and is known for his forward-thinking approach to integrating AI into marketing curricula. The discussion covered his career, his methods for preparing students for the real world with AI tools, and the challenges and opportunities that come with AI in education.

From Industry to Academia: Jim’s Journey

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To start, can you give us a bit of background on your journey from the ad industry to academia?

Absolutely. My career began in advertising—about 18 years on the agency side before joining Google in 2005. I was VP of Customer Solutions for the Americas at Google and stayed there until 2018. While working at Google, I had the opportunity to teach part-time as a visiting executive lecturer at various universities, including University of Virginia and Notre Dame. In 2018, I made the full transition into academia joining the faculty at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, where I now teach MBA courses in marketing strategy, omni-channel marketing, and AI in marketing.

AI in Marketing: From Theory to Practice

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Your focus has been on AI applied to marketing. Can you tell us how you approach teaching AI in the classroom, especially given that many students and even professionals are still new to these tools?

My approach is hands-on. AI is something students are going to use in the real world, so they need to be comfortable with it from day one. I tell them right up front, “You’re expected to use AI in this course, just like you’ll be expected to use it in your job.” We provide resources and training for those who might not be familiar, but most students have at least a basic understanding of AI tools.

One of the key projects I have my MBA students work on is building their own chatbot using Google’s NotebookLM tool. This is done in the context of a computer simulation where they run a virtual business for the quarter. They train the bot on course materials and then use it as a kind of AI-powered assistant throughout the term. It’s a real-world application of AI, and the teams that use their bot effectively have a clear competitive advantage in the computer simulation game.

The Role of AI in the Classroom

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You’ve mentioned that you encourage students to use AI, even in writing assignments. Can you talk more about how you guide them in using these tools responsibly?

For writing assignments, I encourage students to use generative AI, but I make sure they’re using it as a tool to enhance their work, not replace critical thinking. For example, I suggest they might use AI to brainstorm ideas or get feedback on a marketing plan they’re developing. I ask them to use AI to play the role of a critical persona—like an MBA professor at a top-tier institution—to review their work. This helps them refine their ideas before submission.

At the same time, I make sure to emphasize the equity benefits that come from AI access. Not every student is a native English speaker, and AI helps level the playing field by ensuring that all students’ work is presented clearly and professionally, regardless of their language background. It’s about making sure everyone has the tools they need to succeed.

Equity and Access to AI Tools

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Speaking of equity, what are your thoughts on ensuring that all students have access to the necessary AI tools, especially given that some can be costly?

That’s a big concern. One of the reasons I chose Google’s NotebookLM for my class is because it’s completely free with a Google account. No barriers to entry. And when Google upgraded the underlying model to Gemini 1.5 Pro, it became even more compelling—students get access to a frontier model at no cost. We want to make sure that all students, regardless of financial situation, have access to these tools.

In the broader context, though, universities will need to figure out how to provide access to these technologies. AI is becoming a core part of the curriculum in many places. At Kellogg, for example, we’re planning to launch more AI-specific courses open to all MBA students, and making sure those AI resources are available equitably will be critical.

Advice for Educators

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For educators who might be hesitant about integrating AI into their teaching, what advice would you offer?

My advice is simple: You can’t ignore AI. It’s here, and it’s going to change the way we teach and the way students learn. Instead of fearing it, embrace it and figure out how to use it to enhance your courses. Start small if you need to, but don’t wait. The more you engage with these tools now, the better prepared you—and your students—will be for the future.

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