Marketers increasingly use AI to automate parts of marketing workflows, including testing media activation agents, generating creative assets, and scaling production. A boundary remains unclear around what still needs human involvement, especially when AI approaches brand meaning and message creation. Some executives worry about losing control because there is limited visibility into how AI agents make decisions, and they fear consumer backlash. Consumer sentiment is mixed: many shoppers accept AI if it improves ad relevance, while a larger share prefers ads created by people. Marketers also balance efficiency with brand ethos, using AI for programmatic buying and backend content while holding back on consumer-facing creative.
"“Part of marketers' apprehension is around losing control as there's little to no insight as to how agents make decisions. There also seems to be fear of backlash, like Coca-Cola's AI-made holiday ad in 2024. That fear makes sense - at least from a numbers perspective.”"
"“Sixty-eight percent of shoppers say they don't mind AI in advertising, as long as it makes ads more relevant, according to Canva's 2026 State of Marketing and AI Report. At the same time 78% of shoppers from the same study say they'd rather see ads made by people.”"
"“Ally Bank's in-house team has started testing automated tools in its programmatic media buys to speed them up,” said Ally Bank's chief marketing and PR officer Andrea Brimmer, who did not provide specifics. “Ally also uses AI for content creation on the backend, but hasn't produced consumer-facing creative, Brimmer said.”"
#ai-in-marketing #programmatic-advertising #creative-automation #brand-messaging #consumer-sentiment
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