Staying Ahead of Marketing with AI

AI has become an irreplaceable technology that people “don’t know how they ever lived without it.” According to Wired, companies like Yahoo!, the AP, and Fox are all using AI programs to write news stories, financial summaries, and sports reports. Further, apps like Spotify, Pandora, and Netflix, though simple compared to others, make recommendations based on your interests and previous engagement. In this blog post, I will share some predictions of AI in media and how it is already intertwined with the marketing world.

AI in PPC

According to e-marketer, most pay per click budgets are allocated to either Adwords and Facebook with Google controlling 40.7% of the US digital ad market, followed by Facebook with 19.7%. With this kind of energy being put towards these ad campaigns, it is no surprise that there are artificial marketing platforms that provide just that – an autonomous media buying software. Albert, for example, requires minimal manual input while the software runs analysis, manages, and optimizes paid ad campaigns.



Efficiently processing the amount of data as a live feed can be used for predictive decisions at a much quicker pace than a team. Recognizing trends, changes in competition, and automated keyword research will substantially lower margins and allow a much higher output rate with higher accuracy and quality score. For now, many of these AI tools need further development. A AI management that manages the budget and keeps customers happy is well on its way.

AI in Content

Content still is, and will continue to be, a force to be reckoned with when it comes to marketing. But with new developments in AI, how hyper-specific can we get to our audience? According to a recent survey, 63% of respondents said they would defect from a brand due to irrelevant content. Of that 63%, 22% have said they have already left brands for just that. This emphasizes how fragile a client base is and how important curating the right content for the correct people is. Fact is, AI is already here and only getting better. The Washington Post published more than 850 stories with its in-house automated technology called Heliograf. Did I mention it also creates and posts relevant, optimized social media posts?



According to Washington Post, “Arc Publishing (www.arcpublishing.com) is a state-of-the-art digital platform and suite of tools that’s engineered to meet the needs of modern publishers. Built by engineers and designers at The Washington Post, Arc technology solves complex publishing needs, including video, mobile web and apps, syndication to distributed platforms, automatic content testing, data mining and monetization.”



Quill, a narrative science software created by NLG, describes itself as “Humanizing date like never before, with technology that interprets your data and transforms it into ‘intelligent narratives’ at speed and scale.” MIT Technology Review reports Quill is churning out over a million words a day. It creates content for clients like Groupon, Forbes, T. Rowe Price, Credit Suisse, and USAA. To make it even better, clients can inform quill of the tone, style of language, and angle to use when producing its content. For example, if you have an audience that you know feels a certain way about a topic, it will create content that favors that belief. However, with this kind of technology, at least in these earlier stages, the price comes with it. Heliograf ranges from 10k to 150k per month that they are using as a revenue stream offering it to other companies. Is it worth it? The wall street journal reports, the CIO has said that the profitability is astronomical with 60 – 80% margins. So, it seems worth it so far. With this technology developing and eventually becoming a more saturated platform for cost, it's no surprise that the amount of content you could produce to very specific audiences would dramatically drive your conversions and brand advocacy.

AI as an influencer

This may sound a little more outlandish, but with the previously mentioned technologies, is it really that hard to imagine? Truth is, some already exist and have gained tremendous momentum over the past few years.

If you thought interacting with Alexa or Siri was intricate, it is only the beginning. In response to Amazons Alexa, Japan is releasing a virtual “girlfriend” home assistant that creates a holograph of the avatar in what is called “The Gatebox”. Her name is Azuma Hikari and she does a lot more then tell you the weather. She talks to you, likes to eat doughnuts, and dislikes insects.



According to Digital Trends, “The sensors mean she can recognize your face and your voice, and is designed to be a companion who can wake you up in the morning, fill you in on your day’s activities, remind you of things to remember, and even welcome you back when you return home from work.” You can also communicate with her throughout the day via the app and have conversational talk with her. Japan even has a virtual popstar names Hatsune Miku that has over 2.5 million Facebook followers and performs concerts where over 3000 people attend!

AI influencers are quickly becoming a very realistic concept. The more accustomed we become interacting with these avatars (look at Iphone X animoji), these AI characters will become a very powerful tool in a very near future.

The Final Thought

There is only one question at the end of all this: Is this morally acceptable or is it crossing into psychological manipulation? The amount of data that is possible to extract from behavior, interest, and moods from a person could possibly be considered an invasion of privacy, but would people mind?

What are your thoughts? Is AI acceptable to use in all aspects of marketing? How do you see these technologies developing?