How Artificial Intelligence is set to affect marketing

More than half of marketers are already using artificial intelligence (AI) in some way or another, with a further 27 per cent planning to in the next two years. That’s according to a recent survey by Salesforce that looked at AI and its implications for marketers in the future.

Now that AI is becoming more commonplace with marketers beginning to gain a more thorough understanding, there will be some huge changes. Among them will be:

Ad targeting and audience segmentation

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in emerging channels is set to become more sophisticated, with applications in ad targeting and audience segmentation growing. In research carried out by eMarketer, it was found that these two areas are already among the most popular ways that the technology is being used.

Advanced television – a term that encompasses a number of digital features, including interactivity, time shifting and interoperability – will be particularly affected by AI in 2019. Here, marketers will be able to improve one-to-one targeting accuracy at scale.

Proper segmentation and the development of more sophisticated personas is also likely to come about as the result of AI. Presenting the right message to a potential customer at an appropriate time is paramount for converting leads and something the technology will be able to facilitate in.

This will continue to accelerate the move to personalisation and make it truly useful for both parties. The specific needs of customers will be able to be addressed more quickly, which in theory should lead to long-lasting relationships with brands.

More transparency in data insights

Like most digital platforms, martech (marketing technology) is facing calls for greater transparency and artificial intelligence will help to achieve this. As brands and agencies seek more data insights to inform their activity, AI will be leveraged to see how it is used and ensure that the practice follows basic principles.

Artificial Intelligence education

It’s not enough for brands and agencies to have access to more advanced technology; they must also have the expertise to understand it. Employees will need to be educated on the advancements on artificial intelligence in order to make full use of its potential.

Companies must know which type of AI will be the best to use for the job at hand. Everyone wants access to the latest technology, but using it in the wrong way is as useless as not having AI in the first place.

Like most new things, it takes time to come to understand them properly and huge leaps forward in AI methodologies are expected. Among the places where they will be useful will be neural networks, regressions and decision trees.

In turn, the benefit to marketers will be that business needs can be addressed in a more productive manner. Compliance, transparency, cost, goals and timing will all see an impact from the applications of artificial intelligence.

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