#ai-in-advertising

#ai-in-advertising

The global economy is undergoing a profound transformation, with one topic dominating executive suites and boardroom discussions: artificial intelligence (AI). AI is no longer a distant concept; it's fundamentally changing how companies innovate, engage with customers and protect their bottom line. For today's leaders, this means approaching every critical business decision with a mindset that considers how AI can deliver a competitive advantage.

On AI, he says it's not a replacement for creativity, but a tool for those who know how to use it. "AI won't replace creatives but creatives who don't know how to use it as a tool will probably get replaced by those who do. It should be another string to a creative's bow, much like Photoshop." For Roberts, originality is still the point, and no amount of automation can change that.

As Alex Kantrowitz of Big Technology likes to say, what often gets lost in these debates is the nuance - so let's parse the rhetoric from reality. At the extremes, two scenarios could play out: Firstly, in a world where AI agents facilitate critical moments of truth for consumers making decisions about brands, products, and services - and immediately execute transactions - advertising becomes obsolete.

Long-time ad tech exec Jeffrey Hirsch, a veteran of PubMatic, AudienceScience and ValueClick, has seen the ad tech industry evolve from its early ad network days to today's increasingly AI-powered programmatic ecosystem. Now, as the newly appointed CEO of QuantumPath, he wants to use his experience in the trenches to help media buyers automate complex workflows and better streamline campaign management. Hirsch officially took the reins at QuantumPath on Tuesday after serving as a strategic advisor since June.

It's rolled out, usually by senior ad execs, as a reminder that the responsibility for new business cannot, and must not, lie solely at the door of the small department that bears its name. Instead, it must be divided across an agency, with everyone feeling a degree of personal accountability for its delivery. In our industry, we are, as another well-worn phrase goes, 'all in the business of new business'.

Scott Jacqmein, a 52-year-old actor in Dallas, fields one or two texts a week from acquaintances and friends who are pretty sure they have seen him pitching a peculiar variety of businesses on TikTok.

The ad was made with Google's Veo 3 video model in around two to three days, according to director PJ Accetturo, and that extremely reduced creation time and low budget has reignited the debate around AI in advertising; especially given the subsequent polemic quote by Accetturo: '95% of ads will be AI-generated in the next two years.'

Newton Research, co-founded in 2023, secured $9 million in Series A funding to enhance advertising analytics using specialized AI agents for media planning and measurement.

The primary objective is to connect creative deliverables with real-time performance metrics. While traditional KPIs like impressions, clicks, and conversions remain essential, they don't capture the whole picture.

Contextual ad targeting represents an enormous opportunity, estimated at $250 billion to $350 billion. This approach emphasizes emotion and attention over traditional targeting methods.

Yes, AI can optimize for clicks. But it cannot build brands. And what Meta is quietly building is not a brand engine. It's a revenue machine optimizing attention flows to maximize yield. Its yield. Not yours.

Digital advertisers have transitioned from generic tools within DSPs toward customized strategies, emphasizing measurable outcomes and the importance of tailored approaches to each brand's unique needs.

Reviving an impossible vibe: Slice & BarkleyOKRP To relaunch the iconic 80s and 90s soda Slice, BarkleyOKRP didn't just create an ad; they resurrected a cultural moment. They used Gemini to identify surprising cultural trends and build a world around them, manifesting as a fictional (but very real) analog radio station, 106.3 The Fizz in LA.

There's no one reason online marketing has suddenly opened up again. Meta added more AI tools through Advantage+, launched in 2022, making it easier for brands to target audiences.

"Meta claims its AI tools can cut ad creation costs by up to 50%. At the same time, early tests show results doubling in some cases due to better targeting."

The stock of PubMatic has plummeted over 80% since its peak in 2021, despite signs of underlying strength in its operational metrics.

Google revealed that it suspended over 39.2 million advertiser accounts in 2024, effectively blocking numerous harmful ads before they reached users.