MARKETERS ARE LOOKING FOR BUSINESS BENEFITS IN AI, BUT DO NOT YET SEE ANY SAVINGS

According to a new global survey by Dentsu Creative, marketers are moving away from experimenting with artificial intelligence towards identifying its specific impact on business. Whilst AI helps to speed up marketing processes, many companies are still grappling with how to use it to build their brand and drive long-term growth.

Marketers are entering a new phase in their work with artificial intelligence. This is according to Dentsu Creative’s global report Making it Real which surveyed the views of nearly two thousand senior marketing managers across 14 countries. The study shows that the focus is shifting from the mere deployment of AI to identifying its real business value.

According to the survey, seven out of ten respondents confirm that artificial intelligence speeds up the launch of campaigns and marketing activities. However, the same proportion of respondents do not yet see significant cost savings. At the same time, nearly three-quarters of marketers are considering changing some of the tools in which they currently invest.

The study also suggests that, according to some respondents, AI is not yet able to fully capture a brand’s identity. A total of 62 per cent of the marketing directors surveyed believe that the technology is still unable to capture a brand’s distinctiveness, its tone of communication or its visual style with sufficient accuracy.

According to the study’s authors, technological investment alone is therefore not enough. Companies wishing to gain a competitive advantage from AI must combine technology with creativity, data, media and production, whilst also investing in talent development and organisational change.

“The initial excitement surrounding AI is gradually fading. As the volume of easily generated content grows, the value of human creativity, craftsmanship and attention to detail is coming to the fore,” said David Böhm of Dentsu Creative.

Brands plan to invest more in experiences

Another key theme of the report is the role of human experience in an era of increasing automation. According to the survey, 82 per cent of marketing directors plan to increase investment in physical brand touchpoints, such as events, experiential activities, retail formats and outdoor advertising.

At the same time, more than four-fifths of respondents consider working with authentic customer insights and direct customer feedback to be more important.

The survey also highlights the risk that over-reliance on algorithms will lead to greater uniformity in marketing communications. A total of 78 per cent of respondents agree with the statement that excessive optimisation for algorithms can result in brands appearing interchangeable.

According to the report’s authors, the companies that will be most successful in the coming years are those that can combine the speed and efficiency of AI with human creativity, cultural understanding and the ability to create memorable customer experiences.

The ‘Making it Real’ study was based on an online survey of 1,950 senior marketing managers across 14 countries worldwide. It was conducted in April this year. The study is available here.

Key findings

• 71% of CMOs confirm that AI speeds up the time-to-market for initiatives.
• 70 per cent do not yet see significant cost savings.
• 62% do not believe that AI can fully capture the uniqueness of their brand.
• 74% are considering changing the marketing tools they currently invest in.

Source: mediaguru.cz