2024

AudienceofOneReport:

TheMarketerandtheMachine

ABOUTMOVABLEINK

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engagementthroughautomationand

artificialintelligence.Theworld’smost

innovativebrandsrelyonMovableInkto

maximizerevenue,simplifyworkflows,and

achievetheoptimalcustomerexperience.

HeadquarteredinNewYorkCitywithover

500employees,MovableInkservesitsglobalclientbasewithoperationsthroughoutNorthAmerica,CentralAmerica,Europe,Australia,andJapan.

Learnmoreat.

Introduction

Consumerpreferencesandbehaviorsareinastateof

perpetualevolution,andwitheverymarketingtouchpoint,

therateofchangeaccelerates.Theseever-shiftinghabitsand

desireshavebeenthedrivingforcebehindeverymajordigital

transformationwe’vewitnessedthusfar,andwillcontinueto

shapefutureinnovations.

Reflectingonmarketingprogramsfrompasterasshows

evidenceofthisevolution.Inthe90s,databasemarketing

emerged,transforminganalogmethodsintodigital

processes.Then,withthedawnofthe2000s,emailservice

providers(ESPs)cametotheforefront,revolutionizingour

engagementtechniques.Thisperiodsawtheburgeoning

growthofemailandeCommerce;theabilitytoconnect

withconsumersviasocialmediachannelstookoff,offering

unprecedentedengagementopportunities.

Theintroductionofcloudcomputingarguablymarkedan

evenmoresignificantshift.WithCustomerDataPlatforms

(CDPs)anddatawarehouses,marketersarearmedwitha

unified,real-timesnapshotoftheircustomers,allowingfor

moretargetedandrelevantengagementacrosseverychannel.

Andnow,aswestandontheprecipiceofyetanotherchange,thetransitiontoautonomoussystemspoweredbyartificialintelligence(AI)promisestobethemostgroundbreakingdevelopmentinmarketingtechnology’shistory.Nowisthetimetoreshapeourunderstandingofmarketing,heighteningefficiencyandpersonalizationlikeneverbefore.

Thisyear’sAudienceofOnereportoffersadeepdiveintohowmarketerstapintoAItoaddresstoday’smost

pressingchallengesandanticipatetheevolutionoffuturecreativestrategies.You’lllearnkeytacticstogobeyondthebuzzwordsandhypeofgenerativeAIandlearnhowtoreallypushyourorganization’smarketingprogramsforward.

AlisonLindland

ChiefMarketingOfficer

MovableInk

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ABOUTTHESTUDY

TheAudienceofOne2024reportisbasedonasurveyconductedbyMovableInk.Thisresearchsoughttouncoverwhatconsumersvalueinbrandeddigitalexperiences,whatinformationismostusefulacrossthe

customerexperience,andthetypesof

informationconsumerswillshareforamoretailoredcustomerexperience.

Thereportidentifiestrendsacrosskey

verticalsanddemographicsfromthe

marketer’sperspective.Thefindingsare

basedondatacollectedinthestudywhichconsistedof500totalresponsesfromB2Cmarketersatdirector-leveloraboveat

companieswith500ormoreemployees

and$500MormoreinannualrevenueintheUnitedStates(250)andtheUnitedKingdom(250)fromSeptember6,2023–September18,2023withamarginoferrorof+/-4.33%percentagepoints.

Overview

IntegratingAIintomarketingstrategiesisnotjustatrend;it’s

arevolutionaryshiftalteringthefoundationoftheindustry.

MarketersareoverwhelminglyoptimisticaboutAI.They

endorseitscapabilitytorefinethecustomer’spurchasing

journeyandtocraftexperiencesthatresonateonadeeply

individuallevel—alldrivingcovetedROI.

ButAI’sinfluenceisn’tlimitedtoenhancingpersonalization.

Ithasemergedasagame-changeringeneratingshort-form

copy,atasktraditionallyrequiringhumanattentionto

detailandcreativity.Now,withdeeplearningmethods

enhancingourabilitytoanalyzetextandimagesaswell

astheautomationofoncelabor-intensiveandrepetitive

campaigntaskshaveseenamajoroverhaulthankstoAI

andaccountsformuchofthefanfare.Theinnovationsaren’t

merelyconceptual;they’reinfluencingtangiblebusiness

decisions.Withtheriseofmachinelearninginpredicting

andoptimizingdata-drivenmessaging,marketersareseeing

hugegainsinproductivityandimpactfulliftsinrevenue.In

fact,amidmacroeconomicinstability,manyorganizationsstill

reflecttheirfaithinAIbyrampinguptheirbudgetallocations

toensureaseamlessintegration.

However,aswithanyrevolutionizingtechnology,thereare

ethicalconsiderations.AsAI-generatedcontentbecomes

astapleinthemarketingtoolkit,concernsaboutpotential

biasesinAIalgorithmsandtheiroutputsarerising.Brands

andtechnologyvendorsalikemustremainvigilantand

proactiveinaddressingtheseissuestoensurefairnessandinclusivity.

Likeeverynewinnovation,theglobalreception,response,andadoptionisseldomone-size-fits-all.Regional

variationsareevident,withcountriesliketheUSandtheUKdemonstratingdistinctchallengesandopportunities.Theiradoptionrates,perceivedchallenges,andoverallattitudestowardAIdiffer,indicatingthatwhilethetech-nology’simpactisglobal,itsimplementationandreceptioncanbeprofoundlylocal.Regardlessofgeography,theconsensusisthatmarketingAIishereandheretostay.

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KeyTakeaways

AIISUBIQUITOUSINMARKETING

?MarketersEmbraceAI:Nearlyall(97%)organizationsemployAIintheirmarketinginitiatives,evidencedbytheincreasinguseofAIforconsumerbehavioranalysis(59%),personalization(56%),campaignoptimization(55%),andmore.

?UniversalUsability:AIisn’trestrictedtoback-endanalysis.It’susedacrossaplethoraofmarketingfunctions,from

technicaltaskslikedatainsights(36%)andSEO(34%),tomorecontent-centricpurposeslikeideageneration(28%)andshort-formcontentcreation(26%).

STRATEGICCHANNELIMPLEMENTATIONANDHIGH-IMPACTOPPORTUNITIES

?DigitalDominance:Cross-channelmarketingcommunications(i.e.,contentmarketing,emailandSMS)(63%),Digital

advertising(52%),andsocialmedia(50%),arewhereAIiscurrentlypredominant.Despiteitspromise,onlyabouthalfofmarketersleverageAIinthesechannels,pointingtogrowthopportunities.

?AI’sUntappedMarketingPotential:AIisexpectedtogrowwithinadvertising(37%)andcontentmarketing(30%)in2024,highlightingthepromiseofAI’sversatilityacrossvariousmarketingchannels,likeemail.

REVOLUTIONIZINGCAMPAIGNMANAGEMENT

?AddressingCampaignChallenges:AIisalleviatingcampaignpainpoints,notablyinthetypicallytime-consumingmonitoringofmultiplecampaigns(50%),dataanalysisandROIassessment(47%),andcontentcreation(46%).

?StrategyOverManualTasks:Anoverwhelmingmajority(95%)concurthatAI’sautomationofmanualtaskspermitsa

morestrategy-focusedapproach.Mostcommoncampaignmanagementusecasesincludecontentpersonalization(51%),segmentationandtargeting(46%),contentideation,sentimentanalysis(40%),frequencymanagement(39%),send-timepersonalization(39%),andA/Btesting(20%).

ETHICSANDRESPONSIBLEUSEOFAI

?EthicalWorries:Marketers’biggestethicalconcernsrelatedtoAIincludeprivacyinvasion(47%),IPissues(44%),theabsenceofhumanoversight(42%),stereotypicalrecommendations(39%),discriminatorytargeting(38%),andbiasedcontent(36%).

?StepsTowardsEthicalAI:MorethanhalfofthemarketersemphasizetheneedformonitoringAIforbiases(53%),ensuringAIcontentreflectsbrandvalues(52%),andmandatinghumanreviewsforAI-generatedcontent(51%).

AI’SROLEINTHEPEAKSEASONANDBUDGETTRENDS

?AI-PoweredPeakSeason:Asthe2023peakseasonapproaches,90%ofmarketersareintegratingAIintotheirstrategies,expectingAItoofferbetterpredictiveinsights(44%),enhancedengagement(41%),andmoreautomatedcontent

generation(39%).

?BudgetIncreasesReflectAI’sSignificance:ThevaluemarketersplaceonAIanddigitaltoolsisevident,with86%indicatinganincreasedmarketingbudgetfor2023over2022,andasimilartrendisexpectedfor2024.

MarketersUnite:AmidChallenges,Marketers

OverwhelminglyAgreeonAI’sPotential

Organizationstodayareinauniqueposition:ontheonehand,theyhaveaccesstosomuchcustomerdata,andontheother,there’sanexpectationtoharnessthisdatatocreatebespokeexperiences.Thinkofitasatreasurehunt,whereamidstaseaofinformation,there’sagoldenopportunitytotrulyconnectwitheachcustomer,whilemakingsuredataremainsprivateandsecure.

IntroducingapromisingtoollikeAIintothemixdoesn’tcomewithoutitschallenges.Whiletheinitialplungeintothisworldpresentssomeobstacles,fromdatasecurityconcernstotheneedforspecializedskills,therewardsaremanifold.Asahigh-techtoolburstingwithpossibilities,allitneedsisunderstandingandadepthandlingfrommarketers.

Despiteinherenttrepidation,oneintwomarketersattestthatimplementingoperationalAIranksasoneoftheirorgani-zationstopmarketing-relatedprioritiesinthenext12months—emphasizingitswidespreadoptimism.Thisbeingsaid,marketersshouldbesuretoaddressallmajorconcernsandchallengeswithvendorsaheadofimplementation.

KeyChallengesinAdaptingStrategiestoEvolvingConsumerBehavior

47%

RETAIL

Balancinglong-termstrategy

withshort-termtrends

Quicklyadaptingtomatchcustomerpreferences

Quicklyadaptingtomatchcustomerpreferences

Implementingnecessarychangesinatimelymanner

MEDIA&ENTERTAINMENT

FINANCIALSERVICES

TECHNOLOGY

34%

34%

33%

It’salsoevidentthatmarketersresoundinglyacknowledgeAI’simpact.Byofferingtailoredengagements,machine

learningrefinesthecustomerbuyingexperience,cateringpreciselytocustomerpreferencesandtastes—finallyunlockingtheabilitytodelivertheone-to-oneexperiencemarketershavebeencravingforyears.Itsautomationcapabilitiesnot

onlygivemarketerstheabilitytoautomaticallycreatethousandsofvariationsofcontent,butalsoenablesmarketing

teamstopivottheirfocustowardscustomer-centricplanning.Complementingthis,AI’sproficiencyinnotonlypredictingcustomers’nextmovesbutalsoguidingthemdownapathofdiscoverymakesthemarketingexperiencemuchmore

satisfying,ensuringoptimalcustomerlifetimevalue.

TopChallengesMarketersFacewithAIIntegrationKeyBenefitsofAIImplementation

99%Improvescustomerbuyingjourney

98%ofmorepersonalized

96%Efficientlygeneratesshort-formcopy

95%,sgmarketing

Managingandleveragingcustomerdata40%

Executingconsistentomnichannelpersonalization37%Safeguardingdataprivacy38%

Dataprivacyandsecurity35%

Worriesaboutbrandreputation29%

Lackofskillstodeploy23%

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AI’sversatilityshinesthroughitswiderangeofapplications.Beyondthe

analyticalsphere,AIisbecomingacornerstonefortechnicaltasks.From

delvingintointricatedatainsights(36%)tooptimizingsearchengine

strategies(34%),thetechnologyallowsbusinessestoremainagileand

aheadofthecurve.Simultaneouslyonthecontentfront,AIaidsinsparkinginnovativeideasandcraftingcompellingnarratives.Contentremainscrucialinthedigitalage,withAIasitsrighthand,ensuringbrandscanengage

audiencesinmoremeaningfulandimpactfulways.

AsAIcontinuesitsupwardtrajectory,marketerswhochannelitsfullpowerwillredefinecustomerengagement,creatememorableexperiences,and

deliverROI.Nearly100%ofmarketersagreed,marketingAIbothimprovesthecustomerbuyingjourney(99%)andhelpsbrandsdelivermoreperson-alizedexperiences(98%).

MOVABLE乓

AIisUbiquitousinMarketing

Intoday’shyper-connectedanddynamicenvironment,AIhasseamlesslywovenitselfintothefabricofmarketingstrategiesbeyondChatGPTandgenerativetechnology.OrganizationshaverecognizedtheuniversalityofAI,

integratingitintonearlyeverychannel.Thiswidespreadadoptionspeaksvolumesaboutitsindispensableroleinunderstandingandengagingtoday’sdiscerningconsumers.

OneofAI’sprimaryadvantagesliesinitscapacitytoanalyzeandinterpretlargeamountsofdata.Marketersnow

channelthiscapabilityforanin-depthdiveintoconsumerbehaviorpatterns.Thisgranularunderstandingallowsfortailoringstrategiesthatresonatewithindividualpreferences,makingitsothatpersonalizationisnotjustabuzzwordbutatangiblestrategy.

PROTIP

Marketersstillneedtoleveragetheircreativebrainpowerfor

optimizedmessaging.Youneedthedynamicduoofmarketer

andmachinefortrulymagicalresults—wherethemarketerscreatestrategies,definelogicandrules,andrefineAIoutputs.

HowaremarketerscurrentlyusingAI?

59%

Consumer

behavior

analysis

55%

Campaign

Optimization

I

36%

DataInsights

34%

SEO

26%

Content

Creation

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However,thecurrentstateindicatesthatalargefractionofmarketers

haveyettoharnessthefullcapabilitiesofAIinthesedigitalchannels.

Thispresentsatremendousopportunityforgrowthandinnovation.As

marketersdelvedeeperintoAI,wecananticipateamorepersonalizedandefficientdigitallandscape.

Whenjuxtaposingmoretraditionalchannelslikeemailagainsttheircoun-terparts,thereseemstobeageneralconsensusleaningtowardsthelatterforAI’sbenefits.Thisunderscoresapossibleunder-appreciationofAI’s

adaptabilityandimpactacrossabroaderspectrumofmarketingplatforms.ItisessentialtorealizethatAI’sscopegoesbeyondcontentcreation.

WhenpairedwithAI,traditionalmarketingchannelscanundergoground-

StrategicChannelImplementation

andHigh-ImpactOpportunities

WehaverecentlywitnessedasurgeintheintegrationofAIacrossvariousmarketingchannels.Digitalplatforms,notablyinadvertising(52%),socialmedia(50%),contentmarketing(48%),andemail(37%)havebecomethe

primaryfocusforAIdeployment.ThesechannelshaveexperiencedsignificantadvancementduetoAI’scapabilitytopersonalizeuserexperiences,streamlinecontentdelivery,andoptimizestrategies,makingAI’sabilityto

enhanceengagementandachievemarketingKPIsvast.

PROTIP

OpenSourceAIisvaluable.

ButAIismuchbroaderthan

whatyoureadinthenews.

ConsiderusingmultipleAI

modelstogether,inanensembleapproach,tocreatetrulyuniqueexperiences.

breakingchanges,leadingtoinnovativecampaignsandstrategies.Asthemarketingworldcontinuestoevolve,recognizingandleveragingAIacrossdiversechannelswillbepivotalforsuccess.

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WhatpainpointsdoesAIalleviate?

50%Monitoringmultiplecampaignsatonce

47%DataanalysisandROIassessment

46%Contentcreation

RevolutionizingCampaignManagement

Modernmarketinghasproventhecomplexityofcampaignmanagement.Thesheernumberofcampaignsone

hastosetup,monitor,andoptimizeinadditiontotheintricaciesinvolvedindataanalysisandthepivotalroleof

keepingupwithcontentcreationcanmakecampaignmanagementdaunting.However,thedawnofAIisservingasabeaconofhope,turningthesechallengesintoopportunities.Infact,95%ofmarketersconcurthatAI’sautomationcapabilitiespromoteamorestreamlinedapproachtocampaignmanagement,promotingamorestrategy-focusedapproach,andanopportunitytoscale.

PROTIP

Saygoodbyetobatch-and-blasts.LetAIhelptransformyourbatchprogramintotimely,personalized,andeffectivecampaignsquicklyandatscale.

OneofthemostpronouncedbenefitsofAIisitscapabilitytomonitormultiplecampaignsseamlessly(50%).Byun-derstandingandprocessingdata,AIsystemscanhighlightkeyinsightssocampaignsremainontrack.Furthermore,AI’spotentialindataanalysisandROIevaluationisunsurpassed.Gonearethedayswhenmarketerswouldgrapplewithcountlessspreadsheetsandconvoluteddatapoints.AIprovidesclarityandprecision,offeringactionable

insightsthatdrivecampaignsuccess.

MostcommoncampaignmanagementAIusecasesincludecontentpersonalization(51%),segmentationandtargeting(46%),andcontentideation(44%).

Whatdomarketer’sthinkisAI’sbiggestadvantage?

56%

Moretimetofocusonstrategy

53%

Improvedpersonalizationefforts

50%

Productionefficiencies

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Theessenceofcontentisundergoingametamorphosis,thankstoAI.Thechallengeofcreatingpersuasivecontent,especiallyshort-formcopy,isnowbeingeffortlesslymanagedbyAItools.Thesetoolscraftcompellingnarratives-thatresonatewiththetargetaudience.

ButperhapsthemostsignificantadvantageisAI’sabilitytoshiftthemarketingparadigmfromatask-orientedapproachtoastrategicone.Byautomatingroutineandmundanetasks,AIempowersmarketerstochanneltheirenergyintodevisinginnovativestrategies.Aconsensusisevident,withawidemajorityacknowledgingtheuseofAIincampaignmanagement.AsAIcontinuestoevolve,itsignalsanewagewherestrategytakesprecedence,ensuringmarketingcampaignsreachtheirtruepotency.

AIUtilizationAcrossVariousMarketingSectors

VERTICAL

USEAIFOR

Retail&eCommerce

Contentpersonalization(55%),sentimentanalysis(44%),send-timepersonalization(43%),andcontentideationandbrainstorming(43%).

Media&

Entertainment

Contentideationandbrainstorming(63%),send-timepersonalization(50%),contentpersonalizationandsegmentationandtargeting(41%).

FinancialServices

Contentpersonalization(55%),sentimentanalysis(44%),send-timepersonalization(43%),andcontentideationandbrainstorming(43%).

Technology

Contentideationandbrainstorming(51%),segmentationandtargeting(43%),andcontentpersonalization(41%).

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EthicsandResponsibleUseofAI

PROTIP

RatherthanbeingreplacedbyAI,marketersshouldworkalongsidethetechnologytoleverageits

insightsandcapabilities,whilealsobringingtheiruniquecreativityandempathytothetable.Forexample,includediversedatasets.Ifthe

inputteddataismorebalanced,

theAI’soutputwillalsobemoreobjectiveandmitigateriskofbias.

AI’srapidgrowthandimplementationhasgivenrisetoaslewofethical

considerations.Asthetechnologybecomesmoreadvancedandintegrated

intostrategies,marketersareincreasinglyawareofthepossiblepitfalls.One

ofthemostpressingconcernsisthepossibilityofAIinadvertentlyinvading

privacy(47%).Withoutpropersafeguards,theenormousamountsofdata

AIsystemsanalyzecouldleadtounintendedbreachesormisuseofpersonal

information.Likeanytechnology,however,AIcanbeusedpositivelyor

negatively.It’sourjobasmarketerstouseAItransparentlyandresponsibly—

thesameasanyothertool.

Moreover,intellectualproperty(IP)issuesarelooming(44%).AsAIstarts

generatingcontent,there’sagrayareasurroundingtheownershipandrights

ofsuchcreations.Whoseintellectualpropertyisitwhenamachine,rather

thanahuman,createscontentordesigns?

AnothersignificantconcernisthedwindlinghumaninterventioninAI’sdecision-makingprocesses(42%).Withouthumanoversight,there’sariskthatAIsystemsmightoperateunchecked,leadingtounintendedconsequencesordecisionsthatmightnotalignwithabrand’sethosorsocietalnorms.

TopAIEthicsConcernsAmongMarketers

47%Privacyinvasion

44%IPissues

42%Absenceofhumansupervision

Acknowledgingthesechallenges,manymarketersaretakingproactivestepstowardsamoreethicaluseofAI.A

considerableportionbelievesinactivelymonitoringAIsystemstodetectandrectifybiases(53%),sotheydon’t

perpetuateharmfulstereotypesormisinformation.Additionally,toretainbrandintegrity,AI-generatedcontentmustalignseamlesslywithabrand’scorevalues(52%).And,tostrikeabalancebetweentechnologyandthehuman

touch,manymarketersadvocateforamandatoryreviewofAIoutputsbyhumaneyestoaddafinallayerofscrutinyandjudgment(51%).

ThisiswheretheHuman-in-the-Loop(HITL)approachcomesinhandy.Intraditionalmachinelearning,AIoutputsaremodifiedandadjustedbasedonhumanintervention.WithMarketer-in-the-Loop,marketerscanseamlessly

blendthestrengthsofhumansandmachinestoachieveimpressiveresultsthatneithercouldaccomplishalone.

StrategiesMarketersRecommendforEthicalAIImplementation

53%MonitorAIforbiases

52%Ensurereflectionofbrandvalues

51%MandatehumanreviewsforAI-generatedcontent

4in5

marketershaveanincreased

marketingbudgetfor2023

comparedto2022,andasimilartrendisexpectedfor2024.

analyzingpatterns,behaviors,andpreferencestodelivercuratedcontent,

offers,andinteractions.Asaresult,businessescanfosterdeeperconnectionswiththeircustomers,makingthefestiveseasonmorememorableforall.

Thesurgeinmarketingbudgetsfor2023underscoresthegrowing

importanceofAIanddigitaltoolsintheindustry.Marketersrecognize

theunparalleledadvantagesthesetechnologiesbring,fromstreamlined

operationstoadvancedcustomeranalytics.Ascompaniesincreasingly

allocateresourcestoimplementAI,wecanonlyexpectthistrendtocontinueinto2024andbeyond.

AI’sRoleinthePeakSeason

andBudgetTrends

Theupcoming2023festiveseasonissettobeunlikeanyotherasAI

takescenterstageinshapingourshoppingexperiences.Marketers,eager

toleveragethecapabilitiesofAI,areweavingthistechnologyintotheir

peakseasonstrategies