AI Is Reshaping the Marketing Funnel, From Search to Social
This post was created in partnership with Iterable
Mainstream AI usage is quickly transforming consumer engagement with brands, requiring a shift from high-volume, transactional marketing to high-value, personalized relationships.
During an ADWEEK House Cannes Lions Marketing Vanguard Roundtable co-hosted with Iterable, industry leaders discussed how AI has upended the traditional channel mix, enabled new connection strategies, and unlocked new creative opportunities for marketers.
Data transparency, personalization, and evolved consumer expectations
Heather Blank, SVP of marketing strategy and partnerships at Iterable, kicked off the conversation by highlighting how consumers are more aware of the data marketers are leveraging—and how increased AI adoption has only underscored the need to be transparent and accurate with that data to provide personalized experiences they can trust.
“Customers are expecting better and more relevant experiences,” Blank said. “And they’re voting with their wallets.”
The panelists agreed data collection that enables better personalization—especially in the AI space—can lead to greater impact, if done accurately and transparently. And people are often more willing to share more personal information if they believe they’ll get a better experience.
“Consumers want the end experience to be magical for them, and that bar is high,” explained Jim Mollica, CMO and president of luxury audio at Bose. “They don’t get upset with the data collection unless you abuse it.”
Personalization technology can enhance the brand experience, but the panelists were aware that a lack of accuracy—or, in the case of AI, hallucinations—is still a very real issue and has the capacity for negative impact on brand sentiment.
Najoh Tita-Reid, chief brand and experience officer at Mars Petcare, noted every brand will have a different threshold on how personalization issues tied to AI memory and hallucinations need to be monitored.
“Pet care is our most personalized business,” Tita-Reid shared, explaining that once you have information about a consumer and their pet, a marketer wants to keep that individual as a customer for life. “So, I have to be super aggressive about how I leverage AI to give you a phenomenal relationship. And if I mess up and I do that personalization wrong … these are serious stakes. I’ve got to do it with excellence and accuracy.”
The shift in marketing mix and search behavior
The panelists centered their talk around the overall shift in where consumers are engaging with their brands. All shared they are seeing a big move away from search and toward AI and social media, especially with Gen Z audiences.
“At Iterable, we’re seeing organic search traffic drop off,” Blank said. “Email marketing has been dying for 20 years, but it’s still there—it’s the workhorse. But social media channels are coming on.”
