Customer-first: can AI finally make it happen?

More importantly: will AI be the buzzword of the Cannes Lions in 2023?

For human-centric or customer-first marketing campaigns, data (including media), creativity, and technology must be united.

Many have tried to achieve this unification, just as many have failed.

Can AI Be the savior? Well, it depends on how you use it. But do not expect emotional storytelling and ideas.

To stand out and truly connect with consumers, marketers, and advertisers need to focus on the experience of the customer. Treat them as an individual and work backward from there. You must understand each person's wants and habits and use that information to create personalized and individualized marketing. (Human-centered design.)

In other words, focus on the experience of the customer rather than the experience your product or service you're trying to flog will deliver.

Can AI create emotionally driven content (ads)?

No. AI can not yet deliver emotionally driven ads.

However, AI can help fuel creativity by providing marketers and advertisers valuable insights into consumer behavior and preferences. By analyzing data and customer search habits, AI can help identify patterns and trends that can be used to create more effective marketing campaigns. 

Importantly, AI can eliminate personal biases and perceptions, allowing for a more objective approach to marketing.

Many marketers and brands have tried incorporating AI into their marketing strategies but have yet to see results. This is often due to a need for more understanding of using AI effectively, short-term thinking, and focusing on personal or profit-driven goals.

AI Creative/Content Briefs

One example of how AI can enhance the creative process is by using AI-generated creative briefs. A study conducted by Deloitte Digital, then CMO Alicia Hatch and me (when I was at Amazon), and presented at the Cannes Lions in 2018, compared traditional creative briefs with AI-created documents. The study found that the AI-driven brief increased the diversity and number of ideas created by 57% compared to the traditional, human-created format.  Details can be found here (MediaPost) and here (Forbes).

Additionally, the creatives involved in the study reported that using data-driven facts helped them eliminate their biases and perceptions.

Furthermore, AI can enhance storytelling by providing more diverse briefs and accelerating the speed at which concepts are developed. 

57% is with considering

And AI can remove subjectivity and skepticism that briefs are shallow or based on incorrect thinking.

In conclusion, as the marketing landscape becomes increasingly competitive, marketers and advertisers must focus on the customer experience and work backward from there. By using AI to gain insights into consumer behavior and preferences, they can create more effective and personalized marketing campaigns.

And yes, data, creativity, and technology will come together. The first company to do so - with proof - will be the winner.