What will 2023 mean for Marketing according to Gartner’s Report?
At the start of every year, many publications make predictions for what the year will bring. Gartner released their Top 5 Marketing Trends and Predictions for 2023 and it was no surprise to see AI featuring twice on the list. These are the two predictions they have made relating to AI and it’s use in marketing for 2023:
- AI-augmented operations allow for smarter data-driven decisions
- Gartner predicts that by 2035 organisations using AI in marketing will move 75% of their staff’s operations from production to more strategic activities. They believe this will reduce friction and eliminate redundancy, enabling a shift in budgets. It will help marketers continue to refine the marketing operations process. Therefore, providing more agile data-based responses.
- Marketing will be accountable for ethical AI
- Ethical AI marketing will be among the top concerns of 70% of enterprise CMOs by 2025. Privacy-related restrictions on data collection, economic pressures and AI breakthroughs are driving marketing teams to rely heavily on AI.
But what does that mean in a real-world scenario? And what does AI even bring to marketing? We are going to look at what AI brings to marketing and the implications of these predictions.
What is Artificial Intelligence?
The technical definition of AI is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems. Some applications of AI include natural language processing, speech recognition, expert systems and machine vision.
In a real-world scenario AI can drive your operations and processes faster, whilst ensuring you still maintain precision and accuracy. Basically, it works by digesting large amounts of data and analysing the data for similarities and patterns. It then makes predictions about future use based on this analysis. For example, most websites now have chatbots to support basic customer queries such as opening times, location and returns. These chatbots have developed through chat examples so they can produce lifelike exchanges with people.
AI for Data-Driven Decisions
Gartner’s report looks at how AI-augmented operations allow for smarter data-driven decisions. They believe that using AI to amplify the content and journey orchestration will optimise segmentation and personalisation. As AI accelerates time to market, marketeers can use data to drive more agile responses. So, it’s no secret that those organisations who are data driven already will be at the forefront of innovation when it comes to AI. As AI is trained using data, it’s essential the information you put into it is accurate. So, those who are already experienced in putting data first, are ahead of the curve. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get there if you’re not data driven to start with. It will just require more work. It’s key to remember that AI is only as useful as the information you put into it.
And AI is not there to replace the human element. Like all the tools we have come to use as marketeers, it is there to help you. Think of it more as a way to maximise your efficiency and increase your ROI. Enabling you to delve into your data and steer your marketing content in a direction that supports your customers wants and needs. In an ideal world AI will analyse your prospects preferences and provide them with the solution or service they need. Providing them with a solution to their problem is an ideal way to make a sale and build a long-term relationship. But not everyone is fully on board in relying on it fully to understand the nuances and complexities of grammar. If you’re not there yet though, you can still use it to help you understand what content will resonate with your audience. You can then add a human element with writers who can either edit content or write it from scratch.
Ethical AI
The use of AI in our everyday lives is becoming more and more frequent. There is no getting away from it, but you do need to familiarise yourself with the role of ethics in marketing AI. Gartner’s Top 5 marketing trends report found that by 2025 70% of enterprise CMOs will identify accountability for ethical AI in marketing among their top concerns. They believe that AI in marketing can be used for good or bad.
Gartner advise in this latest report that brands must avoid using technology to influence consumers in unethical ways. Think about it this way. Consumers now have the upper hand. They control their relationship with brands. Deciding on the frequency and format of engagement. Businesses can succeed or fail based on their customer experience. And key to a relationship with your customers and prospects is trust and transparency. You can dive deeper into how marketeers are managing AI ethics with Gartner’s research Digital Marketing Leaders Need to Take a Bigger Role in Ethical Oversight of AI/ML.
The use of AI in marketing increases the level of impact you can have on a customer. As AI continuously learns from data it provides insights at a level you would not have had access to before. Using this, along with other analytical platforms, gives you far more insight into how your prospects think then we’ve experienced before. Enabling you to build far more of a connection with your customers. But you must not forget, it needs to be managed responsibly.
There have been numerous examples of AI learning bias with regards to race, gender, and ethnicity. This leads to a poor customer experience, negative brand association and even legal implications in some cases. AI can benefit marketeers and improve several processes and experiences. But it must be managed ethically. You need to review your data and understand what the biases in it are. And then you then need to train the technology to override these. Implementing an AI strategy which is transparent and ethical can differentiate your brand. Allowing you to build trust and a human connection with your customers and prospects.
Still not quite ready?
So, are Gartner’s predictions correct? How will marketing manage the role of ethics in AI? And will AI augmented operations help us make more data-driven decisions? AI is certainly having an impact on marketing but there are still areas we need to consider. It’s not a case of handing everything over to AI and removing the human element. You need to ensure you have the right rules and processes in place. But if you can provide the right information and guidance, and continue to monitor the output, AI will help you elevate your campaigns.
If you’re still not sure about the use of AI in your marketing activities, talk to us. We can help you understand how to focus your email content and strategy, as well as your paid social ads. Enabling you to deliver campaigns with maximum impact to the right target audience.