By Meredith Tehan, SVP of Sales, Cognitiv

AI-based technology can feel intimidating. Harnessing new marketing opportunities founded on deep learning is a lot simpler than most marketers believe

Artificial intelligence is already part of our daily lives. It’s in our interactions with smart assistants, video games, facial recognition systems and more. AI augments our abilities as we go about our day, removing processes so we can devote more time to what matters.

Of course, ‘AI’ is an umbrella term. It refers to a spectrum of technologies and implementations; many of which are wildly different from one another. As such, it’s worth resisting making too many blanket statements about AI as a singular whole. And yet we can look at the roles AI systems play in our everyday lives and see that it isn’t really anything to be intimidated by when it comes to marketing and advertising.

The ‘deep learning’ school of artificial intelligence technologies in particular presents a tremendous opportunity for brands and advertisers. AI-powered algorithms infused with deep learning abilities can now reliably and rapidly identify and target the most relevant impressions to reach. They can also handle placing ads that engage ideal audiences in high numbers, delivering the right message at the right time and in the right context, all while eradicating the time lag and imprecision that manual optimization brings.

Driving Change

If that’s already sounding complex, consider that you don’t need to know how an internal combustion engine works to be able to drive an automobile. By the same logic, there’s no need to be deeply familiar with AI’s inner workings to take your brand marketing to new places.

So just as Alexa can prove to be a valuable, intuitive assistant in our homes, cutting-edge marketing approaches that employ deep learning present an opportunity that – at the user end – is simple, straightforward, and highly effective.

AI allows you to get more out of your marketing investments by enabling the self-optimization of digital media campaigns, from bidding and buying. In the case of deep learning, this doesn’t require any specific “know-how” from marketers. Instead, the technology can be neatly organized allowing you to analyze and interpret vast data sets, unlock new insights and automatically adjust elements of your campaign in real time without any user intervention – which leads to opportunities for brands to dynamically engage with net-new customers in critical moments.

This sophisticated technology will likely act as a bridge for the industry, turning solutions previously seen as “too” complex for advertisers into a familiar, easy-to-use system. And, letting you secure greater returns and impact while being freed to devote more time to the human and creative elements of marketing.

Working Smart

Over many years, marketers have toiled away relentlessly as they constantly pull reports and analyze data, before manually optimizing a campaign. But there is no longer a need to be quite so attached to that kind of working life. Turning over that effort to deep learning doesn’t just mean better results. It also gives you time back in your day to use your distinctly human brain, to be more strategic, and to be more creative. Those are things that, for now, we can’t teach computers.

Today, adopting a deep learning solution is frictionless and flexible. There’s no need to retrain your team or reinvent your marketing pipeline. In fact, as with a self-driving car, this is about things getting simpler rather than more intricate or complex. You can even keep much of your existing ecosystem in place and deep learning can add value within your existing stack while delivering consumers ads that are relevant for them.

 

And, frankly, as more and more teams working with brands make deep learning part of their strategy, doing the same might become essential, simply to keep pace with the best. A defining element of almost every kind of marketing is driving more sales, and finding ways to constantly gain an edge is fundamental to that. Part of marketing practice is about taking on the responsibility of being open-minded to the opportunities and enabling your clients to take advantage of the benefits the future brings.

 

Next time you ask Siri or Alexa what’s on your schedule for the day, ask yourself why you wouldn’t want AI to empower your marketing plan and maximize your investment while simplifying your life.