Note to brands and agencies: AI is both an enabler and a smiling assassin
The world of media planning is increasingly leaning on AI tools, argues TrinityP3’s Stephen Wright. So what happens when big digital platforms use the same tools to inflate performance and maximise yield?
Conversations around AI now dominate marketing discussions. I’m sure your email inbox and Linkedin are filled with it. Mine certainly is.
Agentic is the new buzzword: with everyone promising their advanced AI system that can act autonomously to achieve what you need (usually for a third of the price of a human).
Positive conversations abound with self-interested parties often gushing about the cost efficiency and improved cost effectiveness AI can deliver. It’s typically being sold as a ‘must have’ enabler, a pathway to improved value, a short cut to results, a time saver, or a game changer … and yes, it has the potential to be all of that … but there is a darker side that marketers need to be thinking about.
AI and media remuneration
In media, there are two client spends in play – the dollars paid as fees for services and the dollars invested by the agency on media inventory for the client.
Marketers are still magpies. Too many see AI as a saviour. Well surprise surprise, it’s not. It’s a tool. And just like the metaverse (remember that?) and every other tech-fad that came before, it’s getting overhyped, underused properly and misapplied by idiots.
AI is not the smiling assassin. It’s just a mirror. If your strategy is weak, your thinking is shallow and your brand indistinct, AI will amplify your mediocrity at scale.
Strong brands, sharp minds and true differentiation will still win. The rest of you? You’ll be the algorithms bitch.