Artificial Intelligence? It Doesn’t Seem So Fake Anymore

Artificial intelligence has been on the front lines of innovation for years, and now its making big impacts in the world of digital marketing. As an undergraduate in the Weinberg School of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University, pursuing a certificate in Medill’s IMC program, I have found two articles on the topic of artificial intelligence it’s intersection with digital marketing that examine the importance of AI and how we can expect it to transform digital marketing.

The first article is titled How AI Will Alter the Digital Marketing Landscape, written by Jennifer Lux and published on AdWeek’s ‘Creative Disruption’ section in June of 2018. Jennifer analyzes several ways that AI has infiltrated digital marketing and shaken up the marketing landscape. She believes “AI and its related technologies will run parallel to nearly all marketing tactics in the future”, working with marketers to enhance their products. The primary function AI will serve to digital marketers will be in it’s ability to lighten the ‘cognitive load’ of employees. By automating processes that have traditionally burdened marketers, they are able to focus on higher-level projects without getting caught up in the minute details of lesser tasks.

Source: The Telegraph UK

The second article I examined, How AI Is Changing the Future of Digital Marketing, is written by Shane Baker and published on HackerNoon. Baker sees AI as a way to enhance the customer’s experience with marketing. As data has grown more accessible to marketers, AI has the power to predict consumer interests and habits, and target them with more relevant content. The algorithms behind AI are able to provide consumers with targeted recommendations and information to tailor their online experience. AI also allows consumers to interact with a brand in an almost human-like manner, conversing with chat bots in the place of human employees.

Based on these two articles and my experience at Northwestern University, I have developed 3 action items you should consider the next time you’re thinking about implementing artificial intelligence into your digital marketing strategy.

·      Create competitive advantage – adopting artificial intelligence is a surefire way to stay ahead of the competition and keeping up with the latest developments in the digital marketing world.

·      Enhance user experience – using AI will allow your business to enhance user experience with your brand, and is the best way to learn more about who you are interacting with and what they are interested in.

·      AI = Efficiency – implementing artificial intelligence will allow your employees to be freed from the burden of day to day tasks that could easily be automated, allowing them to spend their energy on more important projects.

The next time you’re thinking about artificial intelligence, remember these 3 action items to help you stay ahead of the game.

Brian Fogarty is an undergraduate student at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. He studies Political Science and Integrated Marketing Communications. You can connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn.