How Dmitriy Makarov Harnesses AI to Reshape Global Marketing
Dmitriy Makarov, a London-based entrepreneur originally from Kyiv, has built a marketing agency in Europe, employing more than 100 professionals and running campaigns for brands including BMW, Intel, NIVEA, and Domino’s. His guiding philosophy, rooted in his personal mantra GMG – Grind. Mastery. Growth. – has carried him from his early days in esports marketing to building an international company that has already delivered more than 500 digital campaigns reaching over 2.6 billion people.
Rather than chasing superficial measurements, Makarov emphasizes strategies that deliver meaningful outcomes. “I do not believe in numbers for the sake of numbers; my focus is on effectiveness, engagement, and long-term strategy,” he says. That approach has positioned his agency as a leader in influencer campaigns, compelling content creation, and data-driven media buying.
A Human-Centered Role for AI
For Dmitriy Makarov, artificial intelligence is best seen as an accelerator, not a substitute for human creativity and judgment. “I am absolutely confident that artificial intelligence is a powerful tool that is already transforming marketing and will shape its future. But it is important to add: it is a tool, not magic. Its effectiveness directly depends on who uses it and how,” he explains.
His agency has incorporated AI into a platform designed for influencer marketing. This system uses machine learning to analyze audiences, generate personalized outreach, and automate communication with content creators. “What used to take days now takes minutes; and that is not just convenient, it is becoming the standard,” the entrepreneur says.
At the same time, he warns brands against leaving everything to automation. “You should not hand over your brand voice, tone of communication, or strategic decisions entirely to AI,” he says. “When it comes to empathy, brand values, ethical boundaries, or complex communication with real people, the decision should be made by a human.”
Building Campaigns That Truly Connect
From YouTube and TikTok collaborations to large-scale PPC and SEO projects, Dmitriy Makarov’s agency works across nearly every digital platform. Campaigns often feature influencer-led videos, animated content, and interactive ads, supported by in-house production capabilities. He credits much of his success to a commitment to cultural understanding before launching in any new market.
The process behind these campaigns is equal parts data and intuition. Teams conduct competitive analysis, forecast ROI, and build segmented funnels. They experiment with creative formats, optimize targeting in real time, and closely monitor analytics dashboards. Here, the GMG mantra – Grind. Mastery. Growth. – becomes more than just a phrase. It represents a framework: put in consistent effort, refine skills continually, and scale results sustainably.
Preparing for the Future
Makarov believes that success in marketing will come from blending human expertise with adaptive tools. His agency’s track record of securing both global and Ukrainian clients proves the value of this balanced approach. “The worst thing you can do is blindly copy someone else’s templates from ChatGPT or automate processes without understanding them. AI is not a replacement for an expert, it is an amplifier,” he says. “That is why companies should invest not just in tools, but in people who know how to use them effectively.”
As digital landscapes shift rapidly, Dmitriy Makarov remains focused on building long-term systems instead of short-term trends. His philosophy insists that growth stems from hard work and continuous mastery, not quick fixes. For him, the grind continues, the mastery evolves, and the growth follows naturally.
