• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, December 5, 2024

For the second consecutive year -- and for the third time in the 11 years they have been selecting one, the members of the Association of National Advertisers have named "AI" the marketing word of the year for 2024.

It's the same term. The ANA members selected the marketing word of the year in 2023, and it is the shortened version of the term "artificial intelligence" they selected in 2017.

The ANA said 65% of members participating in the survey conducted from November 18 to December 2 selected "AI." The No. 2 selection, "personalization," drew 14% of the votes, and also was the ANA's word of the year in 2019.

"Marketers who voted for AI shared compelling reasons for their choice, highlighting the technology’s pervasive influence," the ANA said in a statement, citing the following verbatim responses from anonymous members:

• “Nothing has affected the world of marketing in 2024 more than AI." 

• "AI is all over! No matter when and where, AI always comes up when talking about marketing."

• "AI has 100% become a part of our everyday work life. No exceptions."

• "It's everywhere! Flooding the feeds and a hot topic of conversation that I think we are all a little scared by, intrigued and have so much to learn to help enable our work and lives."

• "AI is becoming prevalent in all our tech stacks, tools, and essentially every app we use."

• "AI and its potential to change how we work as marketers has been all the buzz. We are at the point where we have to figure out how to integrate AI into how we work, or we will be left behind."