• by Steve Ellwanger , May 12, 2023

Scary, but irresistible to brand marketers: That’s a reference to both social media and artificial intelligence.

Why social media?

Do a search for Bud Light+Dylan Mulvaney.

So who’s afraid of AI?

When San Francisco-based OpenAI released a new version of its AI chatbot ChatGPT in March, more than 1,000 tech leaders and researchers called for a moratorium on development of AI systems because of “profound risks to society and humanity,” as reported by The New York Times.

Among their concerns was the spread of misinformation (see: social media).

Federal regulators have similar concerns, as detailed in a recent blog post by Michael Atleson, an attorney in the Division of Advertising Practices of the Federal Trade Commission.

Addressing “generative” AI tools like chatbots, Atleson noted that companies are starting to use them “in ways that can influence peoples’ beliefs, emotions and behavior.”

Cue AI’s strong lure for brands, particularly when it comes to creating new experiences for consumers—especially younger generations—that are “hyper-personalized” based on data gathering and algorithms, according to Geoff Renaud, CMO of the Invisible North agency.

“Imagine going to a conference and having an entire guided journey mapped out for you,” Renaud tells CPG Insider.“No more FOMO or confusion on how to spend your week navigating CES, SXSW, et cetera.”

CPG brands like Waterloo sparkling water are increasingly using AI to create immersive experiences.

The concept comes to life in this “Water Down Nothing” video from Agency Agent A and directed by visual effects specialist Andrew Donoho, that transforms a man into various characters—from chef to musician.

“Over the past two years, there has been a rush towards AI tools and especially a rise in utilization on the music-video side,” Donoho tells CPG Insider.

“For this campaign, we tried to take the experience that we had from music videos to create compelling commercial/film content to leverage the tools now available in a way that consumers haven’t seen yet.”

On the more mundane but nonetheless valuable side of the AI equation is its use in attribution and other elements of traditional marketing mix modeling (MMM) for both experiential and media campaigns.

“Measurement in experiential has always been a challenge,” says Invisible North’s Renaud. “Eventually, AI will be able to capture and track data across social media, reviews, chatbot, emails, calls and surveys—allowing us to analyze more qualitative consumer sentiment and understand not only how people think, but also how they feel.”

AI already is helping to fill gaps in traditional MMA techniques with regard to emerging platforms like TikTok, according to Greg Dolan, CEO of SaaS/AI company Keen Decision Systems.

“Without any historical information about a new platform, that’s where AI and leveraging information as it becomes available come in,” says Dolan.

“Every data point that informs our algorithm is teaching the algorithm. As an example, on TikTok people will consume a certain type of influencer or other content. Our system learns from the likes, dislikes and preferences of that particular consumer.”