The Rise of AI in Advertising

In the ever-evolving world of advertising, today’s businesses are constantly seeking out innovative new solutions. Advancements in the realm of artificial intelligence (AI) have proved to be a gamechanger, and cutting-edge solutions are already making use of this technology. With products like Einstein GPT and Sales Cloud, Salesforce is revolutionising the way brands operate, helping them improve efficiency, reduce their advertising costs, and offer their customers a more personalised experience at the same time.

AI in advertising

AI has been around for decades, but in recent years, it’s evolved fast, thanks to big data and cloud computing. With the help of vast amounts of data, the companies working on AI systems have been able to train AI algorithms and make them smarter than ever. This has allowed companies working on AI systems to train the algorithms on vast amounts of data, making AI smarter than ever. AI solutions – particularly generative AI tools – are incredibly useful to businesses in the advertising industry. According to Forbes, 73% of businesses plan to use AI chatbots, while 61% plan to use AI to optimise their emails. Advertising businesses in particular have seen massive benefits from AI – not only can AI process huge amounts of data in record time, but it can draw valuable insights from that data, giving businesses a deeper understanding of their customers and helping to inform future ad campaigns. AI also offers companies to personalise their campaigns, and target specific customers – with more information on their customers’ behaviours and needs, they can tailor their campaigns to meet those needs and expand their reach. As this technology continues to evolve, the impact of AI continues to grow, and we’ve rounded up the biggest advantages that AI offers businesses in the advertising industry.

Personalisation 

One of the biggest benefits of AI – especially for the advertising industry – lies in its ability to deliver highly personalised ads to individual customers. Amazon was one of the first big businesses to successfully use AI, offering its customers personalised product recommendations based on their product history – in fact, 35% of e-commerce purchases are driven by these recommendations. AI-powered solutions, like Data Cloud, are able to analyse vast amounts of user data from multiple sources in real-time – everything from customers’ personal information to their preferences, online behaviour, and even their shopping history. Another Salesforce tool that helps businesses personalise their offerings is Media Cloud – tailored  to the needs of a media company, it helps businesses put the customer at the centre of their offering, and offer personalised packages or promotions for video and audio streaming, gaming, advertising, and much more.

With the help of data and insights, businesses can create tailored advertisements that resonate with their target audience, increasing their conversion rates and improving customer satisfaction, which in turn leads to an increase in brand loyalty – research has shown that 80% of customers are more likely to buy from a company that offers them a tailored experience. Starbucks also uses AI to offer customers a more personalised journey. Based on data from customer loyalty cards, Starbucks will send customers offers and recommendations when they’re near a store, based on their past orders. With a virtual barista on the Starbucks app, customers can even order via voice command.

Voice Search Optimisation

People’s search habits are constantly changing, and in recent years, voice search has become increasingly popular – a study by PwC revealed 65% of 25 to 49-year-olds speak to voice-enabled devices like Siri or Alexa at least once a day. As well as powering this technology, AI is also playing a role in optimising voice search marketing strategies, businesses are now able to analyse voice search queries to better understand their customers’ intent. This way, they can create ads that align with user expectations, improving their chances of being shown in voice search results. Research has found that 71% of people prefer voice search to typing out their queries, as voice search is more natural and more efficient – they can make hands-free searches, for example. People who use their voice assistants in everyday life also form a relationship with them, and are more likely to trust them – if your brand appears in voice search results, many people will see it as a recommendation from a friend.

Content Generation 

Creating content that’s both compelling and engaging is vital for any business within the advertising sector, and in recent months, AI has made significant strides in content generation. Tools like ChatGPT can create articles, images, and even videos in a matter of minutes, and they’re growing in popularity – with 1.5 billion visits every month, ChatGPT is now one of the most visited sites in the world. With the help of AI-powered tools, companies can produce high-quality content quickly and at scale, saving them both time and money. In 2019, JPMorgan Chase announced a five-year deal with Persado, an AI content generation startup to generate marketing copy and customer service chat messages – during the trial period, they saw a 450% increase in click-through rates for the AI-generated ads.

This efficiency makes it easier for businesses to experiment with different formats and strategies, helping them reach new customers. Earlier this year, Salesforce launched its own AI tool, Einstein GPT. Based on OpenAI’s innovative technology, it is available with a variety of Salesforce products, and can be used to create AI-generated content such as blogs, articles, emails, and chat replies – it can even draft messages in Slack. By using generative AI, employees can speed up day-to-day duties, whether by automating tasks or using AI to create new content – this way, they’re free to concentrate on more time-consuming tasks. According to a recent survey, 68% of employees say that generative AI will help them to serve customers better, and estimate that Einstein GPT could save them around five hours each week.

Integration into CRM systems

A well-integrated CRM system centralises data, delivering a 360-degree customer view. This empowers employees by way of data-driven decision making, and improves the customer experience with personalised 1:1 interactions. With comprehensive data on their customers from a wide range of sources, advertisers can target their advertisements at specific demographics, locations, preferences, or intent. A CRM system improves the effectiveness of campaigns by allowing advertisers to refine strategies in real time based on customer insights, and enabling them to deliver personalised messages.

Salesforce’s Einstein GPT isn’t only useful for generating new content – it’s the world’s first comprehensive generative AI for CRM. With the help of Einstein GPT’s AI capabilities, businesses can get a comprehensive, well-rounded view of their customers, so they can provide a more personalised and seamless experience. Salesforce’s Customer 360 platform uses AI and data analytics to help businesses deliver better customer experiences and drive long-term customer loyalty.

Salesforce AI Cloud, which was unveiled in June this year, helps businesses to use Einstein GPT’s generative AI capabilities across different workflows. In sales, for example, sales representatives can create emails tailored to customers’ needs; in marketing, employees can quickly and easily create new content designed to engage customers. Einstein GPT can also boost customers’ trust in your business. The Einstein GPT Trust Layer, which was announced earlier this year,  prevents customers’ data from being stored outside Salesforce. It keeps it separate from AI models, so that customers don’t have to worry about their data being used to train new AI algorithms without their permission.

Whether it’s delivering personalised adverts, improving customer journeys, helping brands reach new customers through voice search, or automatically generating new content, AI is already reshaping the advertising industry. Salesforce’s suite of AI-powered tools, including Einstein GPT and Marketing Cloud, offer businesses what they need to capitalise on AI’s potential with enhanced analytics and improved efficiency.

At Trigg, we recognise the immense power of Data + AI, and understand how it drives advertising success. Our expertise in leveraging Salesforce’s AI solutions helps businesses to maximise the ROI of their advertising campaigns, transform their customer interactions, and stay at the forefront of this ever-changing industry.

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