How Generative AI will transform marketing

Generative AI is set to transform the world of marketing. The rapidly growing technology will boost marketers in several ways, especially in the creative process, helping marketing teams generate ideas and content to better engage with leads and customers.

The effects of generative AI are already being felt in the marketing world. A recent Deloitte survey revealed that 26% of surveyed marketers were already using generative AI, meanwhile another 45% intend to use the technology by the end of 2024.

Generative AI tools are versatile and have a vast range of applications. While the most common use is generating articles, images, video, and ideas, it can also greatly benefit marketers by streamlining administrative tasks, aiding in data analytics, and campaign creation. This is just the beginning of what Generative AI technology can offer.

Examples include:

• Increased content generation: Generative AI can be used to create unique content at scale, such as articles, video and image based content.
• Cost efficiency: Generative AI can significantly reduce the number of hours employees spend on creating content and designing marketing campaigns, leading to increased productivity and efficiency.
• Fresh output: One of the most impactful uses for generative AI is its ability to enhance creativity and foster original marketing ideas.
• Data analytics: By using Generative AI, marketing teams can delve deep into data analysis and extract valuable insights into new trends, angles and patterns.
• Customizability and personalisation: Generative AI based content can be tailored to specific audiences offering highly personalised engagement
• Time efficiency: AI can be used to create content or generate outputs at all hours of the day, unlike human employees.
• Democratisation: Time consuming or technical skills such as data analysis, video creation, image creation, coding, translation and more, all can be done with the help of generative AI.

In this report, we delve into the key ways that generative AI is poised to transform the marketing world. We've consulted with several generative AI experts who have shared their insights below. You can hear from these experts in person at the upcoming Generative AI for Marketing Summit 2024 – an event you won't want to miss! Be sure to check out the schedule and register for the event to learn more about the impact of generative AI.

Generative AI will help marketing teams create content at pace

One of the most immediate applications of generative AI in marketing is the ability to produce content at scale. In fact, according to a report by Hubspot, marketers can save up to three hours a day on content creation with the help of generative AI.

In today's digital landscape, content marketing remains a vital strategy for businesses to stand out from the sea of distractions and ads that potential customers deal with daily. The emergence of generative AI tools like ChatGPT, which serves as the application layer within numerous marketing technologies, has enabled businesses to deliver customised content efficiently.

According to Darien Davis, Generative AI Creative Specialist & Consultant at Nextelligence, the implementation of generative AI will significantly aid marketing teams in the creative process.

“With the advent of multimodal Large Language Models (LLMs) integration within the more creative, design-oriented tool 'stack', we are moving beyond new tools to old approaches and more toward innovative methods for user and consumer centric, motivated content creation and marketing. This already is altering the marketing landscape, but this will only augment and entrench further, providing unparalleled personalisation and experiences akin to those only previously described in science fiction over the last 80 years or so. What was previously only fiction or fantasy is fast becoming reality and marketing is just the tip (albeit a very important one) of a much larger generative AI iceberg.”

Without a doubt, generative AI is expected to revolutionise how markets can reach leads with personalised messaging at scale. Here are a few examples:

• Text based content: Generative AI can be used for things such as social media posts, blogs, reports, and emails. In addition, it can also be used to edit written content to make it more effective.
• Multimedia generation: AI tools can be used to generate audio, image and video based content to enhance visual storytelling at scale.
• Translation and transcription: Generative AI can be used for previously time consuming or costly tasks such as translation and transcription.
• Real Time analytics: Generative AI offers the ability to adjust campaigns in real time based on data for more personalised outputs
• Hyper personalisation: Generative AI provides the capability to analyse a vast amount of data and customise content based on individual preferences and behaviours.
• Social Listening and Trend Prediction: By analysing social media data, Generative AI could predict emerging consumer trends or potential PR crises before they fully manifest, allowing companies to adapt their marketing strategies proactively.

It is also important to consider how campaigns will be affected by generative AI. Marketing teams will be able to prototype creative ideas before they become campaigns, as suggested by Michael Taylor, Prompt Engineering at Saxifrage.

“While some clients may be hesitant to embrace fully AI-generated products, especially for high-end brands that have high standards, the ability to visualise the campaign at a lower cost can be a game-changer. This allows you to get client approval on a concept before investing in human designers, videographers, and copywriters to execute the final version.”

Generative AI will change how marketing teams are structured

Generative AI will also have a huge effect on the way teams work because of increased efficiency, with some studies indicating it can improve productivity by up to 66%.

AI tools can help marketing teams in many ways. In addition to streamlining content generation as outlined above, generative AI can help automate everyday administrative tasks, help formulate marketing campaigns, assist in reviewing or editing work, and also interpreting complex data sets to identify trends, and even forecast future outcomes based on historical data.

Also noted by Darien Davis,

“Marketing teams can unlock the full potential of Generative AI to streamline their workflows in content and concept ideation, as well as asset development and deployment in both 2D and 3D spaces. While there are many tools available, the most effective ones are those that quickly harness the skills of the team, generating the best returns and seamlessly fitting into their existing workflows. It is important to note that adaptability is key, and proper assessment of current workflows is crucial in achieving the upstream benefits of integrating Generative AI.”

However, how will all of this affect the structure of marketing teams? As Paul North, Head of AI at Big Group, has suggested, this could have broader implications as a whole.

“Generative AI will be the catalyst for widespread change across the marketing landscape. We’ll just have to wait and see how much and how soon. The trend towards in-housing should be boosted by gen AI’s capabilities and “marketing centaurs” (human+AI) will deliver a large teams’ worth of productivity and expertise. Time-based billing models don’t look profitable or representative of agency value in the near-future. I also worry that we’ll see more generic content rather than better content that’s been improved with freed-up time and enhanced tools.”

Furthermore, Martin Musiol, Instructor at GenerativeAI.net suggests this may affect how organisations hire in the future.

 “As businesses will increasingly hesitate to expand their headcount, expecting greater productivity from existing staff due to AI. The competition will intensify, putting a premium on delivering genuine value. Websites will transition to a conversational interface, while language models streamline a wide array of tasks. We'll also witness the rise of synthetic data products spanning music, podcasts, images, movies, and more.”

Indeed, with generative AI’s ability to automate campaigns and learn from previous ones, marketers will cut down significantly on the time needed to create effective campaigns. Generative AI can identify patterns and create highly personalised marketing campaigns with greater speed and efficiency compared with traditional methods.

However, it is essential to provide marketing teams with the necessary upskilling to best utilise generative AI technologies. This will help maintain accountability and a responsible use of AI tools by cultivating a culture that values transparency. In addition, to ensure that data is being handled properly, it may be necessary for organisations to establish strong data handling practices and create an AI ethics board or counsel.

Early adopters of generative AI may reap early benefits

The use of generative AI in marketing has sparked ongoing debate regarding the need for laws and regulations to guide its use. Despite this, many organisations have already embraced the technology.

How will early adopters shape the future of generative AI adoption for marketing teams? David Granger, Content Director at Cinch suggests there will be winners and losers:

“Generative AI, like digital and social before it, mark out the early adopters and what I call the ‘early adapters’: the gold rush will end, some financial fingers will get burned, but ultimately for those who use it correctly, and learn from the pioneers, it will speed up the creation of functional marketing collateral (which still requires human oversight). But the change will be massive: it will dramatically increase the efficiency and effectiveness of marketing content.”

Businesses that take advantage of generative AI will race to incorporate it into their operations and gain a competitive edge. While adopting generative AI early on can be a game-changer, it's crucial for organisations to maintain strong due diligence as the regulatory framework surrounding the use of AI is constantly changing.

When using generative AI, it's essential to prioritise transparency. This can be done by including clear identifying disclaimers for AI-generated images or videos. Early adopters should be mindful of potential biases or untrustworthy data used in data training, as they can lead to harmful or misleading AI-generated content.

Users of generative AI also have a responsibility to handle personal data with care and implement robust data protection procedures. Obtaining relevant consent and being transparent about data inputs are crucial steps in building trust with customers, which is vital in consideration of the public’s general scepticism of AI-related technologies.

Generative AI will open a gateway to increased democratisation of technical skills

Generative AI is set to transform the marketing industry by increasing productivity and making key marketing skills more accessible. By leveraging generative AI to perform more non-technical tasks such as generating ideas and writing copy, marketing teams can save valuable time and money. This can help reduce employee workloads, increase productivity, and potentially enable a single employee to produce the same amount of work as a small team using traditional methods.

However, Simon Levitt, Global Creative Technology Director at Imagination suggests the impact of automation and democratisation will be a double edged sword.

“Generative AI has already impacted the industry, in both good and bad ways. It is allowing us to expand our creative thinking, it has allowed for the easy automation of simple and repetitive tasks, it has democratised services as now everyone can afford translations, voice overs and video generation. However, it has impacted jobs and therefore the types of roles and skills we will see within marketing.”

In addition to the democratisation of services such as translation, video generation and transcription, generative AI is revolutionising the way we approach data analytics and automation. It has the ability to analyse vast data sets in a fraction of the time compared to traditional methods, enabling marketers to better understand their target audiences and uncover patterns and trends quickly.

Analysing data can be a significant challenge for marketing teams which requires a specific skill set. Generative AI can help overcome hurdles by providing marketing teams quick access to data analytics with a reduced need for data scientists and IT specialists.

However, going forward organisations will have to consider balance between automated generative AI and human creativity. Most organisations will likely start with AI-generated content as a foundation and then add human expertise to improve it and augment the outputs. This approach ensures that content and marketing campaigns remain consistent with a brand's core tone or messaging while also appealing to target audiences.

Conclusion

Generative AI is set to revolutionise the world of marketing. With its ability to create unique and fresh outputs, it can help marketers create and augment content, campaigns and ideas at a faster pace, while also saving time and reducing costs.

Additionally, generative AI's ability to analyse data and democratise marketing skills will enable teams to better target their audiences and create hyper personalised outputs. However, as with any new technology, companies will need to find a balance between automated generative AI and human creativity, to ensure that their content remains consistent with their brand's core principles.

Want to hear more from the experts? Join the first event for strategic marketing leaders to come together and explore generative AI: Generative AI for Marketing Summit 2024.