SANTA MONICA, Calif. – As CEOs, CMOs and agency clients demand AI strategies, marketing executives are grappling with how to harness the potential of artificial intelligence in its early, fast-evolving days.
So, how have the early forays shaken-out, as we head in to 2025?
“The smartest marketers that I talk with are really thinking about how they set their teams up today to be able to be in experimentation mode,” said Beth Berger, VP & GM Americas at Moloco, in this video interview at the Beet Retreat Santa Monica with Beet.TV contributor Rob Williams.
Generative AI for Creative Experimentation
While not yet mainstream in marketing, generative AI tools are emerging as a “super smart creative member of your creative team”, Berger said, aiding in ideation, editing and testing at scale.
These tools represent a step towards the “long-term state that I think we’re all very excited about, which is true personalization of the storytelling that you’re doing in market,” she added. “We’re not there yet.”
Machine learning, another subset of AI, is already at scale in successful programmatic channels and businesses like Moloco, Berger noted, helping to reach the right person with the right message.
“When you think about generative AI and machine learning, I like to say — generative AI, that’s your creative assistant; machine learning; that’s your data analyst,” she said.
Investing in Data and Talent
Moloco is a technology company specializing in machine learning and programmatic advertising. They offer solutions for businesses looking to optimize their digital advertising efforts through automation.
To future-proof teams and stay competitive, Berger sees forward-looking marketing leaders prioritizing investments in data and talent.
Harnessing AI’s full potential requires a strong grasp of first-party data. “Too many businesses today treat their data teams, their analytics teams as a separate organization from their marketing teams,” she observed.
Berger emphasized building teams with an experimentation mindset and data literacy.
“It doesn’t mean that everybody who is on your marketing team today needs to have a degree in data science,” she said. “But it does mean that they need to be good at thinking about what are the signals in our data that help me understand how to personalize the message.”
You’re watching coverage of Beet Retreat Santa Monica 2024. This series and event is sponsored by OpenX, Publica by IAS, Snowflake & Spotter. For more videos from the series, please visit this page.
