The ultimate AI guide for marketers

Welcome to The Drum’s?Deep Dive into AI and Web 3. If we've learned one thing from this Deep Dive, it's that we'll have to run it again next year too.?Beyond the hype, the tests are happening and the results are real.

First, a caveat. Sure, AI has been part of the marketing landscape for decades. IBM’s Watson presaged much of the later developments – and in the chaotic landscape of artificial intelligence-powered tools, may yet?regain its crown. Remember when it edited The Drum magazine? We were there from the very start and so the potential when the tech was a mere sapling.

But much of the focus this year has been on the flashy generative AI-led creative. At least on the consumer side. But for now, are the real gains to be found in ignoring some of AI's suggestions? Leading strategists are currently using ChatGPT to weed out the run-of-the-mill ideas that they shouldn't pursue.

But behind the act of creation, the underlying tech is quietly powering changes in everything from search to analytics.

We spoke to top media buyers about the way AI is changing everything. With AI, agencies will have greater oversight of the huge, huge media landscape than ever before. Rather than replacing workers, we're optimistic it'll make lives easier and drive greater efficiencies in how media is bought and planned.

As we’ve heard from experts and practitioners machine learning and natural language models have tremendous potential for marketers. It's now time to get used to the likes of ChatGPT and more. These apps can even write code. Media buyers are already testing it for this purpose.

Trust us, it can't write good newsletters yet. We'll let you know when it can.

Anyway, there's nothing quite like hearing from top marketers who have been experimenting with the tech for years. The smart ones have been cagey about sharing their competitive advantages.

Despite that, we've unearthed concrete examples of brands using AI to greatly improve outcomes. Diageo has been working with Creative X to make sure all its ads are optimized to run on each platform. And it's been fixing them on the fly too. Every piece is getting the best possible chance of success. By doing this it has halved the price of a CPM.

From all our discussions, it's clear AI can lead to the removal of the rote aspects of work, freeing us up for more creative endeavors. Even if that is creative thinking. It is also powering new ways of communicating with audiences and consumers, as well as helping to develop new customer acquisition strategies.

But as bullish as we are, it's a pivotal time for the tech. There are a great many unanswered questions about AI. In the face of the mooted halt on development until ethical frameworks can be developed many industry veterans are also flagging issues related to copyright, misinformation and inaccuracies. For the love of god, do not put sensitive company data into ChatGPT for example.

These concerns speak to the speed with which the technology is progressing - but also the opportunity cost that comes with not using the tech if our competition chooses to continue with it.?

And then, beyond artificial intelligence, 2023 has also seen experiments in Web3 tech including the metaverse and NFTs continuing apace. Freed from the hype that surrounded them last year, brands are continuing to expand into and play with metaverse spaces with more appropriate budgets and expectations. Despite – or because of – the diminished excitement around the space, brands are quietly making inroads into an area that could soon be a major revenue spinner.?Although you may want to ask yourself why Disney for example has pulled back from some of these activities...

For now, it's clear marketers with an open mind can find competitive advantages in the coming tech revolution. But we do acknowledge, it does sometimes take an AI (or a subscription to The Drum) to separate the wheat from the chaff.