Using artificial intelligence (AI) in marketing is becoming a far more cost-effective way of managing marketing strategies and tracking campaign performance. Nothing will ever replace the human touch, especially when it comes to creating and delivering marketing campaigns. However, AI-powered marketing automation is enabling brands to go further and make a great impact by providing actionable insights.
Businesses are starting to weave artificial intelligence into every aspect of their marketing strategies. So long as there are employees and decision makers there to oversee the process, AI can be trusted to help deliver your marketing goals.
In this guide, we’ll look at seven AI in marketing examples where AI is helping to optimize campaigns. As we already mentioned, this is about boosting your strategy, content, and data analysis to deliver even better campaigns in the future.
In This Guide:
What Is AI in Marketing?
Top AI in Marketing Examples
1. Personalized Product Recommendations
2. Chatbots and Virtual Assistants for Customer Service
3. Predictive Analytics for Targeted Campaigns
4. Content Creation Tools for Faster Production
5. Dynamic Pricing to Boost Sales and Competitiveness
6. AI in Ad Targeting and Personalization
7. Social Media Monitoring for Real-Time Insights
How to Choose the Right AI Tools for Your Marketing Strategy
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is AI in Marketing?
Before we dive into our examples of AI in marketing, it's worth understanding what we're actually talking about here.
AI in marketing uses advanced technology and software to enhance and automate marketing strategies. It can take some of the most difficult data challenges and research jobs off your hands, meaning you can connect with customers more effectively .
Understanding AI's Role in Modern Marketing
Now, AI is not about replacing people. It’s there to transform how marketing teams work.
Generative AI is particularly transformative, enabling rapid content creation and enhancing marketing strategies. It analyzes large amounts of data quickly, finding patterns humans might miss. It helps with onboarding new customers and deals with the initial touchpoint in the complaints procedure. It can create imagery and even products that are then used to improve marketing campaigns.
There is a lot that artificial intelligence can do and AI tools are becoming more and more integrated into our business decisions. While this guide deals with marketing examples, it’s fair to say AI is changing how we live and work.
Key Benefits of AI in Marketing
AI doesn't replace human marketers. Instead, it gives you powerful tools to do your job better. It handles routine tasks, letting you focus on creative and strategic work, and gives you the capacity to scale up.
When it comes to marketing in particular, AI can:
Predict customer behavior better than humans
Personalize marketing campaigns to a target audience
Optimize ad spending across traditional and digital media
Improve customer service from first point of contact to last
Create content faster and more consistently
AI is also really good at helping you measure results more accurately. You can see what's working and what's not in real-time, using software to track it all. This lets you adjust your strategies quickly for better results.
Top AI in Marketing Examples
Now it's time to look in more detail at some AI marketing examples. These seven instances show how artificial intelligence can aid your marketing efforts, so you get better results.
Whether it's improved customer engagement, more efficient social media management, content optimization, or perhaps even helping you launch advertising campaigns – whatever it is, an AI-powered tool is there to help.
1. Personalized Product Recommendations
When we talk about personalized products, we don't mean adding a moniker to a jacket or cushion. AI is able to understand what products are most likely to appeal to individual customers and align their recommendations based on that data.
AI analyzes past purchases, browsing history, and preferences to suggest products people are likely to love. It effectively takes cookies to the next level.
Major retailers like Amazon and Netflix use recommendation engines to boost sales and engagement. The systems learn from your behavior to create a tailored shopping experience.
As you interact more, the recommendations get smarter and more relevant.
How AI Curates Unique Experiences Based on Customer Behavior
What's particularly great about AI is that it doesn't just recommend products. It can personalize the entire customer journey. It studies how users navigate websites, which emails they open, and what content they engage with.
This data is collected primarily through cookies, but also the digital footprint users leave when they go on platforms like social media. It's all fed into the AI tool and helps brands create custom home pages, email offers, and other personalized marketing messages.
Spotify is a great example of a platform that uses AI to craft personalized playlists and music recommendations based on your listening habits. YouTube does exactly the same thing.
2. Chatbots and Virtual Assistants for Customer Service
AI chatbots may never totally replace humans. There was a time when customer service phone lines appeared to be moving toward fully-integrated "robot voices" whenever someone called to make a complaint. But the public didn't like it and now most companies use a mix of pre-recorded voice prompts and people when operating phone lines.
Well, it may be the same with AI and chatbots. AI is certainly useful for the beginning of a user's journey within a chatbot. Many chatbots can schedule appointments, process returns, and even complete purchases. This frees up human agents to focus on more complex issues.
However, there always needs to be a human overseeing the chatbot, just to make sure that it's operating correctly.
Users also tend to prefer speaking to a person when they have a problem. They love using a chatbot to complete a quick purchase, but not if their payment option won't work.
Case Studies: Brands Using AI-Driven Chatbots Effectively
Beauty brand Sephora first launched a chatbot in 2016. It helps customers find the perfect makeup shade, which is really useful if you're shopping online. It asks questions about skin tone and preferences, then is able to deliver personalized content and recommend products.
Also in 2016, Domino's launched 'Dom the Pizza Bot' for Facebook that allows you order pizza through the social media site. You can customize toppings, track your order, and even pay.
Many brands now use ChatGPT, Bard, and other chatbots that operate almost solely through AI technology. These chatbots save time for customers and reduce support costs for brands. They also collect valuable data on customer needs and preferences.
3. Predictive Analytics for Targeted Campaigns
Marketers often struggle to know what to do with reams of customer data. Well, AI can crunch massive amounts of data to predict future customer behavior and create hyper-targeted marketing campaigns.
These predictive models are improving every year. They can identify who is most likely to make a purchase soon, and who might benefit from a little more customer engagement. They can also spot signs that a customer might walk away from your product or cancel their subscription.
This insight allows brands to deploy proactive outreach at the right moment. You might get a special offer right when you're most likely to buy.
Leveraging Predictive Models to Understand Customer Needs
AI doesn't just predict actions, it uncovers the "why" behind customer behavior. It can identify patterns and segments you might miss.
Here's an example. Say you're browsing Netflix, but can't find anything to watch. It's the fifth time this month you've spent more than 10 minutes looking for a show. The AI might spot this and work harder to offer you content you might like, while also alerting the marketing team to the possibility you might cancel your subscription.
Understanding the "why" behind the customer experience means brands can better understand customer lifetime value. Why are people engaging with the brand, why are they sticking around, and why are they leaving?
AI can help brands track the acquisition channels that bring in the most valuable long-term customers. Predictive analytics then improves product development and reveals unmet needs and opportunities for new features or offerings.
4. Content Creation Tools for Faster Production
Marketing automation is leading to more and better content creation at a time when audiences are craving fresh content like never before. Brands have to be careful to monitor the content that AI produces and ensure it complements, not overtakes, traditional marketing approaches.
From generating blog posts and social media updates, to writing video scripts and producing images, AI can do a lot of the heavy lifting. AI analyzes top-performing content to understand what resonates with audiences and then reproduces it. That's what machine learning is all about.
These tools help marketers produce more content faster, but not always better. It's important you maintain oversight of anything AI generates. Glitches occur. Images get warped. Sentences don't always make sense.
Remember, too, that AI can also help optimize existing content. It suggests headlines, meta descriptions, and content tweaks to improve SEO and engagement. This is really useful if you're not experienced in these practices or if you need to save time.
Examples of AI Tools Generating High-Quality Content
AI technology is great at creating top-quality content, so long as you keep an eye on it too. Jasper.ai, for example, is able to generate blog posts, ads, and email copy based on your input. It learns your brand voice and can write in different tones. However, it can only learn from you, so you've got to make sure your prompts are accurate.
Writesonic is an AI tool that generates product descriptions, landing pages, and even entire articles. It uses your keywords and outline to create original content, although you need to double check everything to ensure it's perfect.
Lumen5 turns blog posts into engaging social videos. It selects key points, finds relevant stock footage, and adds captions automatically.
Finally, there are tools like Pixlr and Canva that allow you to create and edit images. An AI image generator should, when used properly, provide a better service than using a stock photo provider because you can create exactly what you want.
But remember, these tools don't replace human creativity. They can handle routine writing tasks and provide a starting point for more complex pieces.
5. Dynamic Pricing to Boost Sales and Competitiveness
Brands often struggle to nail their price points, but in recent years, dynamic pricing has become an acceptable means of setting the right level. It works by increasing the price of a product or service when demand increases, or when supply decreases.
Music ticketing websites use dynamic pricing models all the time. With the help of AI, it's possible to analyze market conditions, competitor pricing, and demand patterns in real-time. Brands can then adjust prices to maximize sales and profits.
This is also common in industries like airlines and hotels. Booking.com, for example, uses AI across its entire network. Prices change based on factors like day of week, time until departure, and current bookings.
Dynamic pricing helps brands stay competitive without constant manual updates, which saves a lot of time and analysis. It can also boost revenue by charging more when demand is high.
Real-World Cases of Dynamic Pricing in Action
The issue with dynamic pricing is it can be a public relations minefield if it goes wrong. The British band Oasis suffered this public relations disaster in 2024 when it was revealed dynamic pricing was operating on its ticket sales. Fans who expected to buy tickets for around $100 were left shocked to see prices rise to four times that amount.
Uber, meanwhile, uses "surge pricing" during peak times, which balances supply and demand by incentivizing more drivers to work.
Amazon changes prices millions of times per day thanks to its AI, which considers factors like competitor prices, inventory levels, and even the weather.
While effective, brands must be careful with dynamic pricing. Customers may feel frustrated if prices change too often or seem unfair, which is the fate that befell Oasis.
6. AI in Ad Targeting and Personalization
Marketers have for generations worked hard to ensure their ads get in front of the right people. Traditional and digital marketing experts spend huge amounts of money on research to ensure their ads find the right audience.
Well, artificial intelligence is making this market research a lot easier to conduct. AI can show users the right ad to the right person at the right time. It does this by analyzing user data to create detailed audience segments.
From there, the system can predict which paid search and other advertising formats will perform best for each user and also optimize ad placement.
AI-powered ad platforms continuously learn and improve, getting even more refined. They test different combinations to find what drives the best results. In doing so, users are more likely to see ads they like.
How AI Optimizes Ad Placement and Effectiveness
There are plenty of AI tools that can figure out ad placement – two of which are housed within Google and Facebook. Google's AI determines which search ads to show based on factors like relevance, bid amount, and expected click-through rate. If you pay for a Google ad slot, then the AI will help you.
Facebook's ad system uses machine learning to show ads to users most likely to take your desired action. This is really useful as it fine-tunes your target audience. It considers thousands of data points, which would be almost unmanageable for a person.
Then there are programmatic advertising platforms like Criteo and Xandr, which use AI to buy ad space in milliseconds. They match your target audience with available inventory across the web.
These AI systems help you get more value from your ad spend. They reduce wasted impressions and improve conversion rates.
7. Social Media Monitoring for Real-Time Insights
Finally, it's time to look at how AI helps your social media marketing efforts through effective monitoring of each platform. A tool like CisionOne is able to identify mentions of your brand, products, and competitors.
These systems can detect sentiment – whether people are speaking positively, neutrally, or negatively. They spot emerging trends and potential PR issues.
Social listening helps brands respond quickly to customer feedback. It also provides valuable data on what people really think about your offerings.
Monitoring Sentiment and Trends With AI-Driven Insights
It wouldn't be possible to get these insights without AI. The sheer amount of ever-changing data on social media channels means artificial intelligence is necessary to work through the numbers and continually monitor new social media posts.
Sentiment has become a core aspect of social media management because AI tools are able to detect sarcasm, positivity, negativity, and impartiality.
This is really useful for understanding the true impact of a marketing campaign. After all, you might get one million mentions for a new product launch, but if you don't know the sentiment behind these mentions then how can you tell if the launch is successful?
How to Choose the Right AI Tools for Your Marketing Strategy
Now, it's time to look at the tools you can use to implement each aspect of your marketing campaigns that we've discussed above.
Selecting AI software should never be a snap decision. Consider your specific needs and how AI can enhance your current processes.
Here are two main areas to focus on.
Identify Your Key Business Needs
There's no point subscribing to AI software unless you know why you need it. So, start by pinpointing your marketing goals. Do you want to improve content creation, analyze customer data, or automate social media posts? Are you desperate for a chatbot-powered shopping service, or an ultra-fast image generator?
Make a list of tasks that take up most of your time and figure out what you need.
Then, look at your budget and team size. Some AI tools are better suited for small businesses, while others cater to large enterprises. For example, an AI image generator like Pixlr means a small business doesn't have to pay for stock photos. A social listening tool like CisionOne, meanwhile, could be what a global brand needs to truly understand its audience.
Finally, ask your team about their pain points. What tasks do they find repetitive or time-consuming? AI can often help with these areas and it could also improve employee satisfaction if you take boring jobs off their hands.
Evaluate Your AI Capabilities and Ease of Integration
There's no point subscribing to software if you can't integrate it into your existing systems. Check that your AI marketing software can connect to your platform, which might be customer relationship management (CRM) software or content management system (CMS). Easy integration saves time and reduces errors.
It's also important you test the AI marketing tool before you fully dive in. Take advantage of free trials and demos. Be sure to follow any tutorials so that you're fully up to speed with how it works.
If you're unsure about integrating and using your AI option, then you could pivot to a totally different management system that has artificial intelligence already built in. That way you don't have to force a new system into your existing one.
Final Thoughts on AI's Role in Marketing
It's fair to say AI is transforming the marketing landscape. You're likely already using some form of AI in your daily work without realizing it. Whether it's spell checkers or voice assistants, image generators or social media listening, these tools are becoming integral to the marketing game.
But AI in marketing goes far beyond basic functions. Companies like Cision are leading the way, using AI to transform communications. From project ideation to content deployment and analysis, AI is there every step of the way.
As AI continues to advance, your role as a marketer will evolve. You'll need to learn how to work alongside these tools, using them to enhance your campaigns and drive better results for your clients or company.
AI will never take the place of people. Its presence helps everyone – from content creators to customers. Use it correctly and artificial intelligence can become a trusted, reliable aid that makes it a lot easier to do your job, expand your brand, and achieve your goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
AI is revolutionizing marketing in numerous ways, so it's no wonder marketers have a lot of questions about it. From personalized experiences to data-driven strategies, companies are harnessing AI's power to connect with customers and boost results. With that in mind, here are the answers to some common questions about AI in marketing.
How are brands integrating AI into their marketing strategies for more personalized customer experiences?
Brands have numerous opportunities to use AI in marketing. AI analyzes browsing history, purchase data, and demographics to create custom recommendations. It can generate images, sounds, and videos to speed up the content creation process. It can even understand which print ads will be most effective to specific audiences. With AI, it's possible to know more about each customer and fine-tune a brand's messaging to individuals.
What are some innovative approaches to AI in digital marketing that companies have successfully implemented?
There are a lot of AI in marketing examples that feature innovative approaches. For instance, companies use AI for predictive analytics, which helps them forecast trends and customer behavior. Marketers can then plan campaigns more effectively.
AI is used in dynamic pricing to monitor demand against supply, which means brands find the right price point for their products and services.
AI can create images, videos, audio, and written text to such a level that it can greatly enhance a team's digital marketing efforts.
Finally, AI-driven ad targeting has been shown to improve ROI. It shows ads to the right people at the right time, reducing wasted spend.
Which recent advances in AI technology are shaping the future of marketing and advertising?
There are a few advancements in recent months that have really pushed AI to the next level. Natural language processing, for example, lets AI understand and respond to human speech. This powers voice search optimization and conversational marketing.
Computer vision helps brands analyze images and videos. They can track logo appearances and understand visual content preferences.
In what capacities are companies utilizing AI-driven analytics to boost customer loyalty and retention?
Customer loyalty and retention is hard to maintain – but the use of AI technologies is helping to reduce churn. For a start, artificial intelligence can spot when customers might be about to walk away or unsubscribe. Brands can then target them with special offers or outreach.
AI also analyzes customer feedback across channels to help brands improve products and services to keep customers happy.
Finally, AI can analyze new customer data and predict who is most likely to interact with a brand. It can then suggest the marketing material required to pull a customer down the sales funnel.
