How AI is revolutionising content marketing with speed and insights

In an era when digital landscapes are constantly evolving, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into content marketing has revolutionised the way brands connect with their audiences.

From generating vast amounts of tailored content in mere moments to extracting actionable insights that drive strategic decisions, AI is not just a tool—it's a catalyst for innovation. 

At the afaqs! Brand Storyz Awards 2024, industry experts discussed this transformative shift to highlight the remarkable capabilities of AI in enhancing both the speed and personalisation of content creation.

The session, titled Branded Content: The Generative AI Edition, featured a distinguished panel of marketing experts, including Gaurav Vaidya, head of marketing and products, Canara HSBC Life Insurance; Karan Kumar, a seasoned marketing and business strategy expert; Namit Agrawal, marketing lead for data, AI and digital experience cloud, Salesforce; and Sambit Mohanty, creative head (North & South), McCann Worldgroup. The panel was chaired by Sreekant Khandekar, co-founder and CEO, afaqs!

The panel explored how AI is reshaping the marketing landscape, empowering marketers to connect with consumers like never before, and enabling content strategies that are faster, smarter, and more impactful. AI’s influence on content marketing can be distilled into two primary areas:

Speed and volume: AI has significantly increased the speed at which content can be produced and the volume of content that can be generated.

This allows marketers to quickly go to market with various types of content, including text, images, and videos, at a scale that was not possible before due to human limitations. 

"We can now churn out text, images, and videos faster and in larger volumes than ever before. This was simply not possible with human limitations alone. AI augments creativity, enabling marketers to go to market quicker and with more material," said Mohanty.

Actionable Insights: AI enables the extraction of insights that were previously unavailable, making it easier to turn data into actionable knowledge. This allows marketers to implement information more effectively and enhance their strategies.

Agrawal highlighted the significance of this capability, saying, "AI allows us to uncover insights that were previously inaccessible and makes them actionable. This intelligence helps us deliver more robust, precise strategies."

"The process is faster, more efficient, and ultimately makes life easier for marketers and consumers alike. For instance, it can analyse millions of customer interactions and tell you what works and what doesn’t—all in real time," he added.

Kumar emphasised how AI has changed the approach to personalisation in marketing by enabling personalisation at scale. Earlier, marketers faced a significant divide: they could either personalise content for a small audience or send out non-personalised messages to a large group. 

"With AI, it is now possible to create multiple iterations of personalised content for thousands of recipients simultaneously. For instance, instead of just addressing an email with a recipient's name, AI allows marketers to tailor the entire body of the email to reflect the unique vocabulary and writing style of each individual recipient."

Vaidya offered another perspective, focusing on the synergy between AI and human creativity: "AI amplifies creativity by inspiring marketers. It allows us to do more with less, reducing costs while maintaining quality. This balance between experimentation and efficiency is a game-changer."

Shedding light on the evolving impact of AI across various content formats, Mohanty emphasised its transformative role in text and image creation.

"Text has been the most tangible outcome of AI so far, but text-to-video is where the real challenge lies," He added, noting that while the technology is still in its nascent stage, the pace of its evolution is astonishing.

Citing a practical example, he said, "Earlier this year, we created our first AI-based film for Air India’s Holi campaign. A project that would typically take four to five weeks and cost around Rs 50 lakh was completed at half the cost and without a physical shoot."

He described this as a testament to AI’s potential to revolutionise video production, predicting that in just a few years, AI-driven innovations could significantly disrupt traditional production workflows. 

While the benefits of AI are evident, Vaidya raised concern about the potential for content saturation."If every brand leverages AI to flood the market with content, differentiation becomes difficult," he warned.

"Authenticity might diminish, and consumers may struggle to distinguish between brands. Early adopters of AI will have the advantage, but moving forward, marketers must innovate beyond the mundane to stay ahead."

The ethical implications of AI in marketing were another focal point. As AI becomes more prevalent, transparency and accountability are key to maintaining consumer trust.

"The promise of AI lies in its ability to scale creativity, but it also raises questions about authenticity. When consumers interact with a piece of content, they should know whether it’s been created by a human or an AI. Brands must ensure that AI-generated content doesn’t perpetuate biases or stereotypes," Mohanty said.

The consensus from the panel was clear: AI is a powerful tool that, when used responsibly, has the potential to revolutionise content marketing.

Watch the full session here: