AI marketing versus AI-powered marketing

illustration: DALL-E

With such an approach, campaigns still rely on manually designed assumptions, and the algorithm is only a support for the process but does not define it. The opposite is true for AI-powered marketing, where artificial intelligence plays a key role. Is it possible to distinguish a marketing buzzword from solutions that have real value for business? Yes, provided we know what to look for.

Ai marketing - a trendy slogan, but what lies behind it?

In many cases, the trendy "AI marketing" label refers to simple rules or semi-automatic systems. For example, an algorithm is able to select advertisements that are best according to several previously set criteria, but it will not analyze the user`s intent, nor will it decide whom to show the advertisement to in real time. Activities will primarily boil down to basic user segmentation or campaign optimization according to pre-established criteria.


Therefore, more and more companies, before deciding to entrust their advertising budgets, check to what extent artificial intelligence will play a supporting role in a given campaign and to what extent it actually has a chance to significantly optimize its results.

Checklist: what is worth paying attention to

Before we decide to invest a budget in an advertising campaign, it is worth checking whether it is already AI-powered marketing or merely AI marketing. There are several areas that very easily suggest which approach we are dealing with.

• The algorithm learns independently - AI-powered marketing
• The algorithm operates according to defined rules - AI marketing
• The algorithm makes decisions in real time - AI-powered marketing
• One of the main functions is reports for analysis - AI marketing
• The solution translates into an increase in all campaign elements - AI-powered marketing
• The solution supports the optimization of individual campaign elements - AI marketing
• AI realistically shapes the campaign strategy - AI-powered marketing

Ai-powered marketing - what does it change?

In AI-powered marketing, the algorithm is the center of attention. What does this mean? It is able to independently learn user behaviors and predict traffic dynamics, adjust the creative, or the timing of an ad display without manual rules, and also predict the probability of conversion in real time.

In short - the marketer sets the campaign goals, but the algorithm is the campaign`s engine and makes the decisions. The growing role of artificial intelligence in the AI-powered approach does not mean less responsibility for marketers. On the contrary, advanced technologies shift the marketer`s role from those responsible for manual campaign setup to a much more strategic approach, i.e., defining business goals, interpreting results, and supervising the direction of algorithm development.


This moves advertising campaigns to a higher level, and thus offers a chance for an even greater impact of digital marketing on the organization`s business strategy.

Deep learning as the foundation of ai-powered marketing

It is deep learning that plays a key role in the entire advertising process driven by artificial intelligence. This is an advanced form of machine learning in which multi-layered neural networks are able to analyze a huge amount of data and, based on that, predict possible user behaviors.

We are talking about recognizing purchasing patterns that are impossible for a human to catch, but also predicting which users will make a purchasing decision within a given session. Deep learning is focused on understanding the user`s intent and analyzing the context of the content the user engages with. All this allows the campaign to be matched to a specific purchasing stage, i.e., a user who is just analyzing offers will receive a different message than those who are moments away from a purchase.

Such an approach to an advertising campaign is a clear message - artificial intelligence in a specific campaign works to deliver the best possible business result.

The biggest difference - the approach to technology

We hear about solutions with an AI suffix from almost every direction. However, as long as it is only a label where artificial intelligence is reduced to a reproductive role, the campaign effects will be limited. The fact is that AI must be used maturely and strategically; this applies to every business area, including, above all, digital marketing.


It is worth keeping in mind that according to available research, selecting AI projects based on business value and technical feasibility, along with establishing solid management structures and engineering practices, ensures the sustainability of AI projects in high-maturity organizations.

Referring to advertising campaigns, the key question is not whether a given solution uses AI, but how much influence AI has on the decision-making process. Ultimately, the technologies that win will be those that ensure artificial intelligence works faster, more accurately, and therefore more effectively in a specific campaign. The real advantage of a campaign begins where the algorithms learn faster than the market changes.

Karolina Łukasiewicz is Head of Account Management Poland, RTB House
source: infowire.pl