Posted 12.02.2021
By Annabel Thomas
AI is the future of advertising and marketing. It isn’t just about creating campaigns with no human involvement but rather a hybrid approach, whereby the processes of marketing are reimagined. AI tools have become more affordable, accessible and popular in medium and small-sized businesses in recent years. Infact, 57% of marketers are planning to use AI-based applications in the next two years. It really is one to watch and will change the whole customer journey!
If you are new to AI in marketing, don’t worry we have covered the topic before in our post, “How much do you know about AI in marketing?” so have a read if you haven’t already. We wanted to show some great examples of how AI can be used in marketing, with brands we all know and love…
Starbucks sees over 90 million transactions a week and has 25,000 stores, so they are used to gathering huge amounts of customer data, using AI and implementing predictive analytics. But how do they differentiate between customers to build up profiles and patterns of behaviour? For Starbucks, the key to gaining customer data was through implementing a loyalty app scheme; recording and analyzing every physical and digital touchpoint of their consumers. Their app currently has over 17 million users – think of all that data!
Starbucks knows your go-to order is an Iced White Chocolate Mocha, you use the Starbucks near your office and you go in on your lunch break. But what do Starbucks do with your data? It goes far beyond sending you a birthday discount…
It has been researched that companies who use predictive analysis to enhance their user experience are 21% more likely to increase their organic revenue each year! Starbucks is certainly at the forefront of this shift.
Through the use of AI data hubs and advanced technology, Unilever have been able to quickly identify key trends in the public domain. Unilever is working with start-ups across the globe from Singapore to the UK as part of their AI ventures. Through gathering data with AI and also through traditional methods of social listening, market research and CRM research they have actually found a link between ice-cream and breakfast! They found over 50 songs in which the lyrics mentioned “ice-cream for breakfast”. This insight led them to the development of a successful range of cereal flavoured ice creams such as ‘Fruit Loop’, ‘Coca Loca’ and ‘Frozen Flakes’ for their Ben & Jerry’s Brand. Other significant rivals are now doing the same thing.
The retail giant Alibaba recently combined the physical and virtual customer experience by opening a ‘FashionAI’ store in Hong Kong. The goal of the store was to create a hybrid approach to fashion that streamlined the shopping experience. The store comprises exciting new features such as intelligent garment tags, that detect when items are picked up as well as smart mirrors that suggest coordinating items and display clothing information. Their combination of the physical store and virtual wardrobe resulted in a hugely popular and successful shopping experience!
Nike have also created a similar experience, allowing users to create their own sneakers in-store. The experience allows users to design their own graphics and colours using an augmented reality and projection system. The feature drove sales for the company but even more importantly it allowed Nike to collect valuable data about customer preferences. This data will allow them, alongside machine learning algorithms, to design future products and deliver personalised product recommendations.
AI is a great tool for marketers, allowing valuable insights and data to be collected to improve sales and the user experience. It is something we will be seeing more and more of in the future. If you need any help with all things marketing then please get in touch with us today!
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