Three Ways to Integrate AI into Your PR/Marketing Now

No longer the stuff of sci-fi, artificial intelligence is a living, breathing reality.

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With the aid of advanced algorithms, the once far-fetched dream of leveraging outsourced intelligence to complete sophisticated marketing tasks is no longer the stuff of sci-fi fare. It’s a living, breathing reality. Here are three helpful ways your company can start employing machine learning to bolster your marketing/PR efforts.

1. RESEARCH

When it comes to complex market research, AI is considerably better at identifying and segmenting audiences than even the most tried-and-true methods, such as interviews, surveys, focus groups and even market reports. Why? It’s due to AI’s uncanny ability to quickly sift through vast scads of data no human could possibly manage.

“Beyond being costly and slow, traditional market research simply can’t handle the scale of data out there today, as there are billions of product data points, making it less and less effective,” Andy Pandharikar, CEO and Founder of Commerce.AI, told Forbes. “By using algorithms developed with data from sources like Amazon, Walmart and Target, businesses can scan huge amounts of market research information in far less time than traditional methods.”

MEDIA IMPLICATIONS

Better targeting ensures your media hits the right intended audience. But today’s complex algorithms can do so much more—they can even determine the placement and timing of your media, all of which enables informed ad spending.

To this point, William Flaiz, VP of Strategy at Bottom Line Strategy Group, acknowledges how meal-delivery service Blue Apron has fully embraced the emerging technology. “While other companies use a mix of AI and human research and intuition when making decisions regarding media buying, Blue Apron has jumped in with both feet, relying solely on AI to take on the task,” Flaiz wrote on LinkedIn. “Utilizing a software platform that uses predictive analytics and artificial intelligence to decide where to spend their ad dollars, the company uses an automated process to buy across the internet.”

2. CREATIVE

AI CONTENT/WRITING

If writing doesn’t happen to be your forte, or you’re short on time and resources, so-called smart applications can now write copy for you. The kinds of outsourced deliverables available can includes ads, blogs, and other valuable web content. Example: Sites like Hypotenuse.ai promise to craft articles (like the very one you’re reading) in five minutes. And no. If you’re wondering—we did not employ them to write this!

As of now, such technology doesn’t replace writers. Rather, it supplements them. Although machine-learning algorithms can indeed yield impressive results, the copy they generate still often requires a human eye for editing and proofing, especially for specialized or niche subject matter.

Dave Rogenmoser, co-founder and CEO of Austin startup Jasper AI Inc., explains the distinction. “The AI is great at getting a first draft assembled, the type of work that might help a junior writer,” he told Brent Wistrom, senior editor of Austin Inno. “But people are still at the core of creating content.” Or, to put it another way: “‘Jasper is an assistant. And I think it’s going to be that way for a long, long time.”

And who doesn’t need a good assistant?

AI ILLUSTRATION

If you’re seeking eye-popping illustrations but don’t have a lot of time to produce them, AI can now create detailed, professional-looking illustrations in… seconds. Seriously. Such a breakthrough is especially useful for seasonal themes, as the algorithms can quickly transform the look of your content from Halloween to Thanksgiving lightning fast. (Now, if only AI could also help you take down your Christmas lights before New Year’s Day…)

Currently, KGBTexas is working AI illustrations into its Papa Johns’ and WB Liquors content streams. Of course, pizza and beer are fun favorites for nearly every occasion, from Super Bowl Sunday to the Fourth of July, with dueling team colors or stars and stripes in red, white, and blue.

Despite these recent developments, using such cutting-edge tech still requires (human-supported) art direction. We advise using your best prompting skills here. Still, for fun, we suggest trying out Stability AI’s Dreamstudio image generator. It can create photorealistic and breathtaking artistic images based on short but detailed text descriptions, such as “An astronaut riding a horse in the style of Andy Warhol” or “A bowl of soup that’s a portal to another dimension drawn on a cave wall.”

Again, as with written material, AI algorithms cannot (yet) replace art directors or illustrators, but they can nonetheless supplement and enhance the production capabilities of your creative team.

3. PERSONALIZATION

AI can even customize ads to appeal to your customers. This works wonders for conversion rates, as the algorithms can quickly pivot to encourage the person viewing the ad to click a link, fill out a form, or make a purchase on the spot.

“For example, last year, Campbell’s Soup used IBM’s Watson to create display ads with customized recipes based on the user’s geographical location, the current weather conditions in that region, and even preferences in ingredients,” wrote Flaiz. So, the next time you’re shown an ad for gazpacho on a hot summer day or a steaming bowl of chicken noodle during a snowstorm, you can thank artificial intelligence.

KGBTexas prides itself on leveraging tomorrow’s sophisticated tech tools, such as AI, but with today’s necessary human touch. Interested in learning more about how partnering with our agency could take your PR/marketing to the next level? Please contact us now.