iClick Interactive Releases "2024 AI Empowered Marketing Application Whitepaper," Large-scale Applications of AI are Sweeping

From ChatGPT to Sora, every leap in artificial intelligence (AI) development sparks global discussions. AI consistently demonstrates remarkable vitality, continuously revealing surprises that influence various industry revolutions by enhancing learning and cognitive capacities. Technological evolution prompts companies to proactively adapt, align with current trends, and strategize for future market dynamics.

iClick Interactive (NASDAQ: ICLK), a leading enterprise digital operations and marketing cloud platform in China, recently released the “2024 AI-Empowered Marketing Application Whitepaper.” This paper delves into the evolution of the marketing landscape, and examines how AI empowers marketing, including its key applications in marketing functions and prospects. The paper also draws from iClick's service and product experiences to illustrate these scenarios.

Andrew Engel, a Stanford University professor and former Google chief scientist, has likened AI to electricity: if your competitors are using it, you need to use it too, or you will lose your competitive edge. As industries evolve, understanding AI's role in marketing becomes crucial. What impact will AI have on marketing, and what does the future hold? The Whitepaper addresses these questions through real-life scenarios

We are presenting you with a multi-faceted interpretation of the Whitepaper.

Scan the QR code to access the complete Whitepaper.

 

01
The marketing industry evolves with time.
Need a boost in AI development? Or does AI enhance diverse marketing scenarios?

The industry's evolution spans a rich history, witnessing varied transformations over time. The street peddling of yore now thrives as a trending topic in the live-streaming realm. From the street selling of the past to the live-streaming boom of today, the format of marketing has changed, but the one constant has been the need to meet consumer demand. Business strategies that focus on meeting consumer needs propel marketing model enhancements. From this perspective, the advent and utilization of AI follow a natural progression.

The Whitepaper outlines several reasons for the rise and application of AI in marketing.

The evolving landscape of consumer demands drives iterative marketing upgrades. Marketing strategies constantly adapt alongside these shifts, with a focus moving from product-centric approaches in times of scarcity to differentiation in more prosperous eras, and finally to the current emphasis on emotional value in the digital age. Digital marketing has become crucial, and personalized approaches are no longer optional.

Technological advancements act as a catalyst for new avenues of productivity. The transition from the Internet era to big data and AI has opened doors to vast marketing possibilities. Today’s consumers crave personalized and diverse experiences, and technological interventions promise diversification of marketing content. AI's emergence aptly aligns with this evolving landscape.

Market competition is growing fiercer. Brands face intense rivalry across both mass market and niche sectors. Product homogeneity has made it increasingly challenging for brands to stand out, leading to the need for efficient group marketing systems, automated workflows, multi-channel integration, and predictive analytics. These strategies empower brands to solidify their private domain traffic while attracting new customers from the public domain.

Hence, marketing needs are driving the rapid development of AI, while AI's capabilities are fueling the ascent of marketing’s digital intelligence, forging a symbiotic relationship where each advancement strengthens the other.

 

02
AI's Pivotal Role in Marketing
A new ally in omnichannel marketing?

AI, as stated by Google CEO Sundar Pichai, plays a pivotal role in marketing, helping businesses reach a wider audience, target customers more effectively, and improve their marketing ROI. In a cost-efficient era, such tools present enticing prospects for businesses. The key to effectively targeting ideal audiences lies in embracing technological advancements. When concepts like big data, AI, and 5G become standard in marketing practices, it becomes easier to reach and attract users accurately.

Traditionally, marketing demanded substantial investments in manpower and resources across data management, delivery, and decision-making fronts. Extensive data processing and analysis heightened workloads and elongated marketing cycles often led to inefficiencies and resource wastage.

AI's integration in marketing spans customer relations, personalized suggestions, marketing automation, data analytics, intelligent customer service, social media insights, and more. The Whitepaper elaborates on AI tool applications in marketing settings, promising enhanced operational efficiency for marketers.

 

03
Integration of AI into Diverse Scenarios
Ubiquitous AI applications are on the horizon

The marketing landscape is vast and ever-evolving, with no fixed direction. Shifting consumer behaviors and needs are adding layers of uncertainty. Solutions are urgently sought in realms like live streaming, private domains, and content marketing.

The Whitepaper identifies five core areas in contemporary brand marketing: advertising placement (traffic leads), private domain management, live stream e-commerce, B2B content marketing, and brand management, which are the key domains for AI interventions. Additionally, the Whitepaper outlines AI's role in guiding companies toward systematic processes that fuel brand expansion in the marketing realm.

1. Online Advertising

High advertising costs and low returns have been a major problem in the industry. As a result, there is a growing need for technology that can capture and match data to improve results. AI-powered advertising platforms delve deep into user behaviors and marketing channels, extracting insights from extensive data sources. These systems offer comprehensive intelligent marketing solutions throughout the consumer lifecycle, covering strategy, creativity, and delivery optimization, resulting in detailed audience profiles and truly personalized advertising experiences.

2. Private Domain Operations

As market traffic dividends dry up, businesses are realizing that high-investment traffic acquisition strategies are no longer sustainable. Brands are pivoting towards bolstering private domain operations, yet many are still limited to superficial customer service. As demands become more diverse, private domain operations need to be more sophisticated and interactive to build user loyalty.

iClick has shared customer success stories of integrating AIGC (AI-generated content) into interactive private domain marketing scenarios. For instance, iClick integrated AIGC capabilities into a consumer goods client's marketing mini-program. This transformed a solitary fission action into a creative endeavor. The brand achieved cost-effective social fission marketing by incorporating the engaging "AI Painting Appreciation" feature, enriching user experiences and invigorating private domain activities.

3. Livestreaming E-commerce

Brands are increasingly using livestreaming to sell products, but the oversaturation of content can causes viewer fatigue, diminishing the impact of broadcasts.

New livestreaming formats are emerging, like AI-powered hosts and unmanned, real-time broadcasts. AI hosts initially saw a surge in variety, but audience feedback highlighted a lack of realism in visuals and interaction.

As technology advances, AI-powered livestreaming tools offer optimization new possibilities for creating more engaging live streams. Tools like iClick's "zhibojiajia"(直播加加) allow for intricate scene creation with up to 16 layers and 2,000 virtual sets. These tools also ensure smooth content transitions, significantly improving the user experience.

4. B2B Content Marketing

Traditional B2B marketing requires thorough market research and rapid adaptation to changing customer needs. However, this approach struggles to keep up with market changes. B2B customers have long decision cycles and complex purchasing processes. Efficient content strategies can positively influence and facilitate lead acquisition, nurturing, and conversion throughout the extended customer journeys.

iParllay, iClick's marketing automation tool, leverages AIGC to generate content tailored to specific scenarios. Simply input keywords or product insights to generate professional content tailored to specific platforms, this can enhance brand and product recognition, and reduce purchasing resistance.

5. Brand Management

In economic downturns, brands often prioritize sales over long-term value. The rise of livestreaming commerce threatens to weaken brand value operations. Long-term value strategies are essential for sustainable brand development, as shown by the short-lived success of influencer-driven products. AI can help companies improve brand positioning, conduct sentiment analysis, and monitor public perception, ultimately strengthening companies to fortify brand asset management, value, and market competitiveness.

 

04

AI has unlimited potential.

Invest wisely in AI and observe long-term results. Brands are eager to adopt AI technology in the current AI wave. McDonald's leveraged AI to recreate ancient artifacts, bringing their timeless allure to life. Wong Lo Kat(王老吉涼茶) uses AI to create custom cans that showcase Chinese charm. Meituan(美团) Select pioneers AI-driven outdoor advertising, depicting precise messaging. Brands are redefining advertising and marketing through intervention of AI.

According to a report by CCTV Finance, the scale of China's core AI industry surpasses 500 billion yuan, and the number of enterprises has exceeded 4,300. Projections indicate China's AI sector will reach 17.3 trillion yuan by 2035, accounting for 30.6% of the global market.

Looking back at the marketing industry, AI is playing a role in everything from the continuous emergence of AI advertising to the optimization of corporate marketing systems. The topic of digital transformation is not new, and it is still being practiced. However, blind investment has yielded little results. Take live streaming, for example. Without experienced operations, the number of people in the live streaming room is pitiful, let alone conversion. In addition, the large amount of upfront investment in scenes, anchors, and equipment makes it even more difficult for brands to move forward. Nowadays, convenient, stable, and cost-effective AI anchors and live streaming rooms have gradually formed a standardized operation mode, and with the advancement of technology, they bring high-quality viewing and conversion effects.

From the perspective of brand demand, personalized and precise services, automation and efficiency enhancements, multi-channel integration, and marketing and prediction analysis are still the key areas for in-depth AI development. At the same time, data security issues mentioned in the Whitepaper have also been brought to the table. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that AI deployment has furnished solutions regarding data feedback and tangible outcomes. AI has become a part of marketing work.

 

05

Summary

In the past year of 2023, AI technology has penetrated the marketing industry in its own way, reshaping the marketing landscape. At the beginning of 2024, Sora once again bombarded the industry. AI and marketing will continue to release greater vitality. Why not join us to witness the breakthrough of the industry?

Scan the QR code to access the complete Whitepaper.