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The Madison Avenue Field GuideA field guide to marketing & advertising, by Brandon Mina

GlossaryAI in MarketingPrompt Engineering

AI in Marketing

Prompt Engineering

Crafting instructions to get reliable, high-quality output from AI models.

By Brandon MinaCEO, BrandPilot AIUpdated November 2026

Short answer

Prompt engineering is the practice of crafting instructions to get reliable, high-quality output from AI models. It involves specifying the task, context, format, tone, and constraints, and sometimes providing examples. Because small wording changes can significantly alter results, marketers use tested prompts and templates to keep AI-generated content consistent and on brand.