In our previous article, we talked about different types of OOH and how certain ads help companies gain more exposure. Today, we would like to talk about another medium of advertising, namely digital marketing and how AI influences it.
Digital marketing is a type of communication channel that uses the internet. As we know, AI is the abbreviation for artificial intelligence. But what exactly is AI and why does it influence digital marketing?
According to Wikipedia, Artificial Intelligence is “intelligence demonstrated by machines, as opposed to the natural intelligence displayed by animals including humans”. As for the appearance of AI, we can say that it first appeared in the 50’s and ever since then, it has continued to influence our lives. If you fail to see how AI influences your life, here are some examples. When you are bored and you want to put on some music, you say “Siri” or “Alexa” and a female voice response from your device. Well, that is a part of AI. Also, if you’ve ever seen a Tesla, you should know that those self-driving cars with futuristic traits are also based on the artificial intelligence concept.
Let’s pinpoint how many types of AI exist.
- Reactive Machines. This type includes the most basic tasks. The computer reacts to identical situations in the same manner each time it encounters a similar scenario. Some examples that come off the top of our head could be spam filters and the chess-playing supercomputer.
- Limited memory. The difference between this type and the first one is that this one can analyze the previously learned information and react to it. The elements that fall into this category are virtual voice assistants, chat-bots, self-driving cars, and several other technologies.
- Theory of mind. AI Goldman describes this type of AI as referring “to the cognitive capacity to attribute mental states to self and others”, meaning that they try to make robots feel, think and act like a human being. Research is advancing rapidly in this direction and we can see in Japan that there are already a number of hotels that execute check-in and check-out options with the help of artificial intelligence.
- Self-awareness. The last type is about machines that are aware of themselves and how they are feeling, what they are doing, etc. Science is studying how people respond to outside stimuli and how feelings are expressed and using this technology in robots could make their integration in society easier to accept. People would be more open to interacting with a robot that’s smiling, for example.
If you’re still having trouble understanding the connection between AI and Digital Marketing, don’t worry, we still have a few cards up our sleeves.
Digital Marketing has started to use AI more often and people have good reason to do just that. The systems that have been put together help companies create ads more efficiently. This way, people don’t lose time and money for marketing campaigns that will not work.
Here are a few examples of how artificial intelligence is used in marketing strategies and why brands benefit from implementing AI in the process.
- It helps identify potential customers. A lot of platforms have questionnaires that help companies find their target market. The platform alone selects the potential customers and sends them a personalized ad. As a result, the budget used for promotion will be used wisely and the chances of having clients call you back will increase.
- Provide more detailed analysis of campaigns. An online promotion will provide the brand with useful statistics that will help the marketing team to make more precise campaigns in the future. For instance, Wiacom.ai uses that same principle in gathering info from clients. With the power of AI and their deep learning algorithm, you can analyze your audience and their behavior in order to shape your marketing strategy and make business decisions at any given moment. The service offers you direct access to demographics and reports in order to understand customer patterns and generate customisable ads sent directly to the consumer’s device.
- Improve your understanding of your customers. The computer will help you easily identify which product was purchased most often. On the same note, people can write a review about your services based on their experience and as a result, you will be able to see what people like and dislike about the product you sell or service you offer.
Although AI sounds great, the usage of AI could also have a negative impact on your company.
- The files could be deleted, resulting in the loss of valuable information. Consequently, you will have to invest a large sum of money if you’re hoping to get the information back.
- Plenty of competitors. Many companies in your field will use the same programs as you do and inevitably, you will reach the same audience of people your competitor does. Competition will increase and you will constantly need to improve on your marketing strategy.
- The initial investment is large. If you hire someone to do the statistics, you will have to pay them monthly, so you won’t need to take a big amount of money from your pocket and invest in additional software, laptops and experts in digital marketing.
However, generally speaking, direct marketing and the use of artificial intelligence will help save precious time and money.
The future of AI
Nowadays, the pace of technology development is very high, which means that, in the future, artificial intelligence will continue developing and will likely replace many human activities. We can’t predict if OOH or other types of advertising will disappear or if digital marketing will rule the entire advertising world, but if it does happen, the world will probably look a bit boring. Imagine if you can’t find billboards on the streets anymore and what will your city look like without them.Or perhaps they will be replaced by digital screens. Even more, many people will lose their jobs, if that happens. The good part is that digital marketing doesn’t harm nature at the moment, however, we should wait and see where this path is going.
Until the next digital trend appears, we should learn as much as we can about AI and make the most of it because including AI in marketing will change our lives and the life of our company. It’s up to us to decide if it changes for the better or for the worse.
