DATAFEST 2026

From Brief to Campaign

in Under an Hour

Practical AI for Communications Work

Michael MacLennan

Founder, Faur | ScotlandIS Board Member

The problem with AI in communications

WHAT MOST TEAMS DO

• Try ChatGPT for a week
• Hit inconsistent results
• Abandon or use sporadically
• Call it "not ready yet"

"We tried AI but it didn't understand our brand."

THE ACTUAL PROBLEM

AI tools are powerful but context-free. Every conversation starts from zero. No memory of your brand, your voice, your standards. The gap is not capability - it is setup.

53 minutes

Time to create complete campaign toolkit with proper setup

The solution: Project-based AI

1

PERSISTENT CONTEXT

Upload brand guidelines, project briefs, reference materials. AI remembers across sessions.

2

CUSTOM SKILLS

Build reusable instructions that encode your standards. Colours, fonts, voice, formatting.

3

STRUCTURED WORKFLOW

Research, Strategy, Assets. Each phase builds on the last. Quality compounds.

Result: Every output reflects your brand. Every session picks up where you left off.

Let me show you: The setup

THE BRIEF

Create a complete campaign pitch for DataFest 2026 speaking slot. Include: proposal, deck, content calendar, outreach emails.

PROJECT CONTENTS

Faur-Brand-Kit-v2.docx

Project-Instructions.md

faur-brand-content.skill

THE SKILL

Encodes: colour palette, typography, voice principles, content formats, proof points.

WHAT THE SKILL KNOWS

COLOURS

FONTS

Inter (headlines) + Lora (body)

VOICE

Confident, progressive, technically credible

KEY MESSAGE

"We do not just recommend AI tools - we implement them."

PHASE 1

Research

12 min

WHAT HAPPENED

AI searched web for DataFest details, compiled event brief, identified key speakers and themes, mapped partnership options.

GATHERED

• Event dates, venue, expected attendance
• Speaker lineup and session themes
• The Data Lab positioning and partners
• Partnership and exhibition options

WHY THIS MATTERS

Manual research: 1+ hours. AI-assisted: 12 minutes, better organised.

SAMPLE OUTPUT

EVENT

DataFest 2026 | Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh

HOST

The Data Lab (Scotland innovation centre)

STRATEGIC FIT

700+ AI and data professionals. ScotlandIS ecosystem.

PHASE 2

Strategy

10 min

WHAT HAPPENED

Before creating assets, developed strategic rationale. Why this event? What is the angle? What are the risks?

STRATEGIC QUESTIONS ADDRESSED

• Why should Faur be at DataFest?
• What is the unique positioning angle?
• What participation options make sense?
• What could go wrong?

OUTPUT

Executive advisory note with recommendation and action plan.

THE STRATEGIC INSIGHT

DataFest audiences understand AI technically but have not considered communications applications.

Faur angle: not another vendor pitch, but practical insight on transforming a function every organisation has.

RECOMMENDATION

Pursue speaking slot. Low cost, high visibility. Content serves multiple purposes.

PHASE 3

Asset Creation

31 min

8 min

Speaking Proposal

2-page docx with abstract, bio, takeaways

15 min

Presentation Deck

12 slides, branded design, speaker notes

5 min

Content Calendar

12 weeks across LinkedIn, Instagram, Threads

3 min

Outreach Email

Ready to send to The Data Lab

Meta

This Presentation

Created using the same process

Meta

Applied Comms AI Article

Documenting the process

Brand skill ensures every asset is consistent without manual checking.

TOTAL TIME

53

minutes

6

deliverables

1

brand skill

0

brand inconsistencies

Traditional approach: 1-2 days minimum

What made this work

FRONT-LOADED INVESTMENT

Building the brand skill took time upfront. But it pays dividends across every asset, every project.

CLEAR BRIEF

Specific event with specific requirements. Vaguer briefs would require more iteration.

STRUCTURED WORKFLOW

Research, Strategy, Assets. Each phase informed the next. Quality compounds.

STILL REQUIRED HUMAN JUDGMENT

Strategic decisions: What to create, why it matters, how to position

Quality control: Every output reviewed and refined

Creative direction: The meta angle was a human call

"AI replaced the mechanical translation of decisions into polished deliverables. Not the decisions themselves."

What this means for your team

1

New Business Velocity

Respond to opportunities faster. More comprehensive pitches. The pitch itself demonstrates capability.

2

Client Delivery

Same approach applies to any campaign. Brand skills encode client standards. What took days might take hours.

3

Positioning Proof

"We implement AI" becomes demonstrably true. The process is the evidence.

THE REAL SHIFT

Traditional pitches are one-shot efforts. Win or lose, the work evaporates. This approach produces content with multiple uses: articles serve thought leadership regardless of outcome, decks adapt for other opportunities. The pitch becomes inventory, not overhead.

Getting started: Practical steps

1

Document your brand

Colours, fonts, voice. The basics you would give a new team member.

2

Create a project workspace

Upload guidelines, add instructions, maintain context across sessions.

3

Build a custom skill

Encode your standards into reusable instructions. Takes 30-60 mins once.

4

Start small, iterate

One project. Refine the skill. Expand from there.

SKILL STRUCTURE

faur-brand-content/

SKILL.md

references/

brand-guidelines.md

assets/

SKILL.MD CONTAINS

• When to apply (trigger conditions)
• Brand foundations (quick reference)
• Content type workflows
• Quality checklist

"We don't just recommend AI tools—

we implement them."

Michael MacLennan

Founder, Faur | ScotlandIS Board Member

WEB

faur.site

EMAIL

info@faur.site

SOCIAL

@faursite

Article: appliedcomms.ai | These slides created using the process described