Tag: artificial intelligence
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The AI Teammate That Doubled as a Coach
Turns out, AI isn’t just a digital intern—it’s pulling weight like a seasoned pro. In a P&G and Wharton field study, GPT-4 helped junior staff perform at near-expert levels and single-handedly reproduced the output of entire teams, all without inflating costs or workloads. The kicker? Participants using AI were three times more likely to deliver…
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Heineken Taps AI to Keep It Local, Even at Global Scale
Heineken may be one of the world’s oldest beer brands, but it’s not letting legacy slow it down. With hundreds of local markets to manage, the challenge isn’t just modernization—it’s doing it without flattening local flavor. That’s where connected intelligence, enterprise architecture modularity, and IBM muscle come in. Heineken’s digital and tech chief, Ronald den…
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Slow Your Roll: The AI Race Leaves Americans Unimpressed
Turns out the average American isn’t quite ready to hand over the keys to the AI express lane. According to the latest Axios Harris 100 poll, 77% of respondents would rather brands develop AI with care—even if it means waiting longer for results. That’s a solid majority, suggesting brands speeding toward artificial general intelligence might…
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Coke’s AI Agent Dishes Out 828,000 Coupons—Hold the Human
Coca-Cola took a hands-off approach to its latest campaign in Saudi Arabia by letting an AI agent do all the heavy lifting—about 8 million autonomous actions, to be exact. Built by Cluep, the AI scoured posts across platforms like TikTok, Reddit, and LinkedIn looking for fast food-loving consumers, then matched them to mobile IDs and…
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Marketers lean into AI to counter flat budgets
Gartner’s latest CMO Spend Survey paints a bleak picture: marketing budgets are holding steady at 7.7% of company revenue, but headcounts are not. As nearly 60% of CMOs say they lack the funds to execute their strategies, many are cutting roles and doubling down on generative AI to do more with less. A striking 40%…
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When AI Curates the Buy: Butler/Till’s Shortcut to Smarter PMPs
Butler/Till’s latest campaign for a financial services client didn’t just rely on traditional DSP smarts—it leaned into artificial intelligence to outmaneuver legacy ad tech inefficiencies. The agency tapped SWYM.ai’s SCaLE tool (Smart Curation and Learning Engine) to tailor Private Marketplaces (PMPs) that were more in sync with actual performance goals. The result? A 56% lift…
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From “Good Dog” to “VIPP”: How PetSmart’s AI Loyalty Strategy Fetches Results
PetSmart has given its loyalty program, Treat Rewards, a serious upgrade—and AI is doing the heavy lifting. Using machine learning models from Hightouch, the pet retailer now customizes offers based on individual buying habits, from preferred dog food brands to services like grooming. AI also helps determine the optimal timing and sequence for outreach, which…
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Bad View? Have a Brew: Coors Light Turns AI into a Beer Delivery System
Coors Light is stepping up for baseball fans—literally the ones stuck behind poles or nosebleed seats—with a new campaign that uses AI to offer compensation in the form of cold beer. The brand launched “The Coors Light AI Beer Refund,” a program that uses computer vision to detect obstructed-view seats in user-submitted photos. Fans can…
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Agencies and Publishers Are Setting the AI Pace—Brands Are Taking Notes
A new IAB report suggests that while AI adoption is picking up across the ad ecosystem, brands are taking a more measured approach compared to their agency and publisher counterparts. The “State of Data 2025” report, based on insights from over 500 media experts, reveals that fewer than half of organizations have fully scaled AI…
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Dr. Martens Taps AI to Lace Up Customer Identity
Faced with the industry-wide challenge of personalization in a post-cookie world, Dr. Martens has partnered with customer data platform Amperity to get a better grip on who their customers are—and how to reach them. With hundreds of stores and sprawling digital properties, the iconic British brand needed a single view of the customer. Amperity’s AI-driven…
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How American Eagle’s AI Ads Are Driving Gen Z IRL
American Eagle Outfitters is leaning hard into Meta’s Advantage+ AI ad platform—and seeing results that might even make a TikTok teen put down their phone and head to the mall. The retailer now devotes more than a third of its Facebook and Instagram ad budget to these automated campaigns. With Meta’s latest updates, including the…
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AI-Powered Orders: Yum Brands Bets Big on Automation
Yum Brands, the parent company of Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut, is making a strong push into artificial intelligence to streamline operations and drive sales. The company has introduced The Byte, a digital ordering platform designed to simplify customer transactions and reduce complexity for employees. According to CFO Chris Turner, this AI-powered system aims…
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Panadol Uses AI to Make Its Ads More Inclusive—And It’s Paying Off
More than half of consumers don’t feel culturally represented in advertising, and Panadol, the Haleon-owned pain relief brand, is taking that insight seriously. Partnering with AI platform CreativeX, Panadol is leveraging the Health Inclusivity Screener, a tool that analyzes digital ad creative for diversity, accessibility, and representation. The AI scans visuals for factors like gender,…
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Prime Video’s AI Playbook: Helping Fans Grok the Inside Game
Amazon Prime Video’s “Prime Vision with Next Gen Stats” is changing how NFL fans experience football. Using artificial intelligence and machine learning, the broadcast identifies key moments before they happen, like predicting a blitz with a red circle on the screen—perfect for both diehard fans and newcomers trying to make sense of the chaos. This…
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AR Filters Take Over: January’s Best Branded Activations
Brands kicked off 2025 with a splash of Augmented Reality, leveraging platforms like Snapchat and TikTok to create interactive, engaging experiences. Luxury brands such as Jimmy Choo, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Dior led the charge, transforming their signature aesthetics into 3D animations that resonated with younger audiences. Meanwhile, entertainment brands embraced AR to deepen fan…
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The Beatles, AI, and a Grammy: “Now and Then” Makes History
In a remarkable fusion of classic artistry and modern technology, The Beatles have clinched their eighth Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance with “Now and Then.” This track, which began as a late-1970s demo by John Lennon, was shelved in the ’90s due to technical constraints. Fast forward to 2021, and filmmaker Peter Jackson’s team…
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Just Salad’s AI: Your New Lunch Wingman
Just Salad is spicing up the lunch game by introducing a new AI-powered tool designed to help guests craft their perfect salad. This innovative feature allows customers to create a meal that aligns precisely with their individual preferences, making the process of building a personalized salad both efficient and enjoyable. The Salad AI tool operates…
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Driving the Future: Mercedes-Benz’s AI Revolution
Through Google Cloud’s Vertex AI platform and generative AI tools, Mercedes-Benz is reshaping its operations across e-commerce, customer service, marketing, and vehicle intelligence. Key initiatives include AI-powered e-commerce solutions such as a smart sales assistant that helps customers choose cars, schedule test drives, and even complete purchases. Google’s Dialogflow is also being deployed in U.S.…
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B2B Marketers Prioritize AI and Social for 2025
In 2025, B2B marketers are doubling down on strategies traditionally associated with B2C brands, according to a Harris Poll conducted for Madison Logic. The survey, which included over 300 marketing decision-makers, revealed plans to ramp up spending on social media, AI tools, video, and podcast advertising. Notably, 60% of respondents are eyeing increased investment in…
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How Pernod Ricard is Redefining Work with AI
Pernod Ricard, a global leader in the spirits industry, is not just blending fine liquors but also data and AI as part of a major workforce transformation. Traditionally known for brands like Jameson and Absolut, the company has shifted focus to operationalizing AI across its business. Central to this effort are tools like D-STAR, which…
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How Taco Bell’s AI Boosts Sales One Byte at a Time
Yum Brands, the parent company of KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut, shared that its investment in AI-driven marketing is paying off by boosting consumer engagement, reducing churn, and driving more purchases. In its Q3 earnings report, CFO Chris Turner highlighted the success of personalized AI-powered campaigns compared to traditional digital marketing, noting they led…
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ThredUp’s AI tools increase purchases and return visits
ThredUp’s recent dive into AI-driven tools is paying off, with tangible results indicating a notable shift in shopper behavior and engagement. Since launching its visual search and Style Chat chatbot in August, ThredUp reports that customers using these tools are four times more likely to complete a purchase than those who don’t. Additionally, new customers…
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KPMG exploring AI agents
KPMG is actively piloting AI agents, focusing on making these technologies secure, practical, and adaptable for tasks that assist their internal teams, particularly in auditing. Swami Chandrasekaran, who leads KPMG’s AI and Data Labs, emphasized the firm’s cautious approach; they are exploring the potential of AI agents to perform specific functions without rolling out any…
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4A’s Noteworthy News – 23rd Edition
THE BIG STORY: The Rise of Agentic AI – Revolution or Reframe? Agentic AI is pushing boundaries, with platforms like Microsoft (this week) and Salesforce (in September) announcing robust autonomous agents poised to reshape workflows across industries. Microsoft’s new “co-pilots” aim to shoulder end-to-end processes with little to no human touch, and Salesforce’s AgentForce offers…
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Haleon pilots AI tool for health ads with inclusive precision
Haleon recently launched an AI-powered Health Inclusivity Screener aimed at making health advertising more accessible and inclusive. Partnering with CreativeX, this tool assesses digital marketing content based on accessibility and representation metrics, ensuring messages are easily understood and diverse. In a pilot with Panadol ads across nine global markets, Haleon identified opportunities for adjustments, like…
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Walmart’s Scintilla: Turning AI Insights retail wins
Walmart is expanding its data analytics platform, Walmart Luminate—now rebranded as Scintilla—to harness the power of AI for enhanced data-driven decision-making. This revamped platform is designed to give brands actionable, real-time insights on customer behavior, inventory trends, and marketplace dynamics. Rather than simply supplying data, Scintilla interprets and contextualizes it, empowering brands to make fast,…
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How AI is helping Hershey this Halloween season
Hershey is leveraging AI to optimize its Halloween marketing strategy, aiming to address underserved markets. During Advertising Week New York, the brand revealed how it used AI-driven algorithms to shift media buys from oversaturated cities to places like Topeka, Kansas. Collaborating with Chalice Custom Algorithms, Hershey’s AI platform manages ad placement across Meta, YouTube, and…
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4A’s Noteworthy News – 19th Edition
NOTE: this post first appeared on LinkedIn here. THE BIG STORY: How AI, AR and Wearables Will Transform Brand Experiences Meta Connect 2024 unleashed a whirlwind of announcements, showcasing Meta’s next steps in AI, AR and wearables—highlighting developments that could dramatically impact how consumers interact with brands, unlocking potential new advertising formats, and further blurring…
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How Hilton and Wendy’s Are Using AI to Improve Customer Interactions
Hilton and Wendy’s are leveraging AI to streamline customer interactions, focusing on enhancing efficiency without compromising the human touch. Hilton uses AI to automate routine tasks like selecting the right hotel room photos and allowing guests to choose their rooms from a floor plan. This frees up time for more creative, customer-centric work. Wendy’s has…
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AI-based paywall strategy increases conversions by 75%
Business Insider implemented an AI-driven paywall that increased conversions by 75%. Previously, they used a “freemium” model, paywalling only specific premium content. The AI-powered system now customizes paywall decisions based on individual reading habits, increasing revenue by identifying articles with higher conversion potential. During testing, 60% of conversions came from non-premium stories that wouldn’t have…
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The NFL’s AI Innovation Hub is a testing ground for new marketing strategies
The NFL’s AI innovation hub is helping the league experiment with marketing strategies using cutting-edge technology. By applying AI and generative tools, the NFL can now deliver personalized content tailored to global audiences. For instance, ads featuring Travis Kelce for Germany and Patrick Mahomes for the UK can be swapped in real time, enhancing engagement.…
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4A’s Noteworthy News – 15th Edition
NOTE: this post originally appeared on LinkedIn here. THE BIG STORY:Human-Minded Creativity in a World of AI In an age where AI permeates our creative processes, it’s crucial for brands and agencies to understand the line between what will.i.am called “imagination regurgitation” and true creativity. A recent study from 4A’s member agency Digitas and Vox…
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4A’s Noteworthy News – 14th Edition
THE BIG STORY: Google beats OpenAI to voice punch, launches new Pixel phones and Gemini Live This week, Google made significant waves with its latest announcements, revealing new AI-driven features and the launch of the Pixel 9 lineup. Gemini AI will power an expanded suite of capabilities across the new Pixel devices. With Apple announcing…
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New Balance leverages AI for targeted summer campaign
New Balance, in partnership with Mediahub and Silverpush, has launched a targeted summer campaign leveraging AI technology. Using Silverpush’s Mirrors AI, the campaign analyzes YouTube videos to identify relevant sports content, including specific athletes and events. This allows New Balance to deliver highly targeted ads to sports fans during major events like the UEFA Euros…
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4A’s Noteworthy News – 13th Edition
THE BIG STORY: The AI sector is beginning to show signs of a maturing market, as recent developments suggest a wave of consolidation is underway. Once the darling of venture capital, some AI startups are struggling to keep up with the hefty demands of research, talent, and infrastructure. A recent WSJ article highlights how a…
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Depop and Selfridges are stitching AI analytics into second-hand fashion
Depop and Selfridges are teaming up with Kelp Technologies to integrate AI into their second-hand fashion businesses. Kelp’s AI, developed by the startup Truss, analyzes market trends and prices for pre-owned apparel, offering insights that help streamline pricing and product recommendations. By automating these processes, the companies aim to reduce costs, save time, and minimize…