AI divides opinion in the world of marketing. Some marketers feel it can be harnessed to speed up processes, while others would argue that it simply leads to laziness and lower-quality content. Whatever your opinion on AI, you can’t deny that it is becoming increasingly prominent in business, and this trend shows no signs of slowing down. Throughout this article, we will explore what the marketing landscape will look like in the AI era and how marketing teams can prepare for AI shaped marketing.
When Did AI First Become A Part of Marketing?
Whilst the utilisation of AI dates back to around the 50’s and 60’s, where data analysis and customer segmentation were the areas that enabled companies to make data-driven decisions to improve customer targeting. However, it was really in the 1990’s and 2000’s when the internet was far more prominent that there was a clear acceleration in how artificial intelligence could benefit marketing on a more widespread scale.
One big leap was the development of CRM (customer relationship management) systems and data mining techniques, which completely transformed how businesses were approaching their marketing, with a far more informed, personal approach to encouraging brand loyalty and customer engagement. This was particularly the case for businesses where trust and loyalty is key, from specialists in dental implants in Melbourne through to health, beauty and skincare.
Moving through the 2000’s and 2010’s, that’s when developments skyrocketed within the world of marketing, although the term “AI” only really became a household word in the world of marketing from the mid to late 2010’s. In the last 5 years, the change has been astronomical, with not much sign of the progress slowing down.
Now we know where things began, let’s take a look at how we predict AI is going to impact marketing moving forwards.
How Will AI Impact Marketing?
AI is disrupting almost every area of business. For marketers and business owners, it’s important to consider which areas of marketing will be most impacted by the arrival of artificial intelligence.
Content
In modern marketing, content is everywhere. Platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Twitch have become a goldmine for businesses with vast amounts of content swallowed up every single day. Given the enormous levels of attention that these platforms command, businesses have seized the opportunity and content creators have become a vital part of modern-day marketing strategies, whether they are working in-house or forming partnerships with brands.
With the growth of generative AI, much of the talk focuses on content creation. While AI generated content has its fair share of doubters, we’ve seen countless examples of marketing campaigns using AI to blur the lines between the real world and the virtual world. Maybelline recently added eyelashes to London Tube carriages, which got people debating whether or not the stunt was real or not — of course, it was created with the help of AI.
In the future, there’s a strong chance that we’ll see more of this type of content with brands able to create make-believe scenarios with AI in a way that looks like they exist in the real world. Expect to see more brands working with a specialist content and performance marketing agency to achieve this blurred reality outcome.
SEO
Marketers love to debate the future of SEO. For some reason, every development within marketing leaves people believing that the “death” of SEO is just around the corner. For those that don’t know, SEO (search engine optimisation) is the process of optimising websites to be more visible on search engine results.
The reality is that SEO is still alive and well. Like most areas, SEO has changed and evolved with the industry, and the same thing will happen in an AI shaped marketing world. The biggest impact will come when users start to use AI tools as search engines — a shift that is already in motion.
That’s because AI platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini are harder to manipulate. Search engine algorithms can view content more favourably if it mentions certain keywords, but AI algorithms are a little more unknown at this stage. One thing we do know is that brands will have to take a very different approach to current SEO strategies when trying to be more visible in AI generated results.
Consider the search query, ‘What is the best dentist in Manchester?’ This could very well become a query that users run through AI rather than Google. It could also be a query that is answered by Google’s AI summary when typed into Google Search. From a business perspective, dentists in Manchester will want AI to point users in their direction and must work out how they can do this.
AI crawls the web to craft its answer to user queries, and this includes unlinked mentions of brands on forums and websites. Previously, SEO strategies would’ve primarily focused on building links to a certain web page, but increasing visibility in AI-generated answers will likely require an approach that focuses on brand awareness than link building.
Strategy and Analysis
A common argument against AI in marketing is that it won’t be able to replicate the creative thinking of the human brain. While this may be true to an extent, AI platforms are closing the gap at an alarming rate. It’s also worth remembering that we have relied on AI for a number of years to gather and interpret data.
We also must consider that AI and LLMs are constantly learning. So while they may not be replacing marketing strategists right now, we could see business leaders turn to AI to produce marketing strategies and reports in the future.
The key to AI platforms producing a thorough marketing strategy will likely depend on how much data and information it is supplied with prior to being prompted. As a result, we can expect to see some human handholding for a number of years, while it would also be no surprise to see software take on this role at some point in the near future.
Final Thoughts
While AI isn’t for everyone, it’s become almost impossible to ignore. The three areas mentioned above will be impacted more than most, but the truth is that AI will disrupt most other marketing areas along with other business departments such as finance, HR and operations. For marketers, it’s important not to see AI as an enemy, but more as a friend that can assist you to see better results in a shorter period of time. If you are part of a marketing team, staying on top of the latest developments and being aware of what AI tools are capable of is the best way to not only protect yourself against being replaced by AI, but also ensure you understand how you can harness the power of this innovative technology.