It’s been almost a year since the hype surrounding generative AI was unleashed onto unsuspecting creatives across industries. Since then, the questions we’ve needed to ask about the technology have naturally evolved: Rather than debate whether to use it or what we stand to gain, we must now ask, where is it heading? Where does it add value? How much is too much, or not enough?
Gen AI’s rise in popularity comes at an interesting time, when economic forces find many organizations cash-strapped. With some companies undertaking a trial by fire while others remain on the sidelines, the overall theory-to-practice timeline this year has been staggered and stunted. But that doesn’t mean the advertising and marketing worlds haven’t advanced.
We asked marketing leaders in our network to reflect on what has actually worked, what’s ready for primetime, and where competitive edge has been gained from their implementation efforts.
Much attention has been paid to the creative enhancements offered by gen AI, with thought leadership focusing mostly on its theoretical implications. What we’ve solicited from our contributors aims to answer: Beyond creative, how is the technology transforming business on a practical level? Every organization will, and should, take a different path, but these responses present a sample of the use cases, solution-oriented processes and governance approaches at play in the gen AI trenches.
Planning and validation
In our engagement with clients, we see predictive AI models being complemented with generative AI, with agencies prioritizing use cases that have the biggest impact on efficiency, precision and automation of time-consuming tasks. Besides applying it for heavy load stages to win and service clients, like creating pitches and campaign assets, translation and personalization, we see agencies starting to apply gen AI for planning and validation stages.
Part of long-term planning is understanding trends and making predictions about what consumers’ expectations will look like in the future and if brands can meet them. Interpreting data that’s publicly available through retailers’ websites, gathering insights on trending inquiries in Google searches, and social media mentions provide valuable information about consumers’ interests and sentiment about brands and competitors, serving as crucial input for retailers’ long-term product portfolio strategies.