Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping industries worldwide, and marketing is at the forefront of this transformation. With AI-powered tools, businesses can now analyze consumer behavior more effectively, personalize marketing campaigns, streamline workflows, and make data-driven decisions at a speed that was once unimaginable.

In a previous article on this blog, I explored how businesses can identify their ideal customers and develop strategies to engage them.

Customer Value in the Now Economy: Know Your Customer to Bulletproof Your Marketing Strategy by Fernanda Almada * [35]

Today, AI is making it possible to refine those strategies even further. By processing vast amounts of consumer data, AI helps companies gain deeper insights into pain points, make more accurate behavior predictions, develop more relevant products and services, and create highly engaging and effective marketing campaigns.

AI’s Role in Modern Marketing

Marketing has always relied on consumer insights to shape campaigns, messaging, and product positioning. However, traditional methods of gathering consumer insights, such as surveys and focus groups, can be time-consuming and limited in scope. AI now enables companies to automate data analyses, generate insights in real time, and quickly create content that resonates with specific audiences.

For instance, AI-powered tools can analyze social media trends, customer feedback, and purchasing patterns to help marketers make informed decisions. These tools are also being used to optimize digital advertising, automate personalized email marketing, and improve SEO strategies.

Beyond automation, AI has become a strategic asset in marketing, helping businesses test creative concepts, refine messaging, and measure the effectiveness of campaigns at a much larger scale than before.

How Leading Brands Are Using AI to Stay Ahead

Many global brands are already integrating AI into their marketing and consumer research strategies. By doing so, they are not only gaining a competitive edge but also reshaping how industries approach innovation and decision-making.

Estée Lauder, a global luxury beauty brand, is pioneering
AI-driven marketing and consumer research. The company partnered with OpenAI to
develop over 240 custom GPTs designed to enhance internal workflows, improve
market analysis, and develop new products based on consumer insights. Custom
GPTs are AI models tailored to a company’s specific needs, trained on
proprietary data to generate more relevant insights, automate tasks, and
enhance decision-making while maintaining data security.

With AI, Estée Lauder can analyze emerging beauty trends, track shifting consumer preferences, and predict which products will resonate with different demographics. These AI-driven insights help the company create more targeted and innovative beauty products, staying ahead of market trends. 

https://openai.com/index/estee-lauder/

Another example is Zappi, AI-powered consumer insights platform. According to Steve Phillips, Founder & Chief Innovation Officer at Zappi, AI is revolutionizing market research by automating the entire process—from data collection and analysis to reporting and decision-making. Zappi has integrated AI across all stages of research, allowing brands to generate insights at unprecedented speed and accuracy.

One of the biggest developments in this space is the rise of AI-powered agents. Traditionally, market research firms would provide companies with consumer insights in the form of reports, leaving it up to marketing teams to determine the next steps. Now, with AI, businesses can use AI agents to generate product ideas, refine ad campaigns, and optimize messaging based on real-time consumer feedback.

According to Phillips, AI significantly reduces the time needed to develop and test marketing strategies. Instead of taking weeks to brainstorm and refine ideas, companies can now generate and test multiple creative concepts in a matter of hours.

Getting Started with AI

For those looking to explore AI in marketing, the best approach is to start small and experiment with the tools that fit your needs and top priorities.

Here are four practical steps:

            Ø 
Identify one area where AI can help. Whether
it’s copywriting, image generation, video                              editing, or consumer research, focus
on a single tool first.

Ø 
Test AI tools that align with your needs.
Platforms like ChatGPT, MidJourney, and Descript are great starting points for
different marketing functions.

Ø 
Use AI to enhance creativity and amplify your
skills. The best results come from combining AI’s efficiency with human insight
and strategy.

Ø 
Stay updated with AI advancements. The field is
evolving rapidly, and keeping up with new AI marketing trends will help you
stay competitive. 

·       The Future of AI in Marketing

AI is not just a trend—it is fundamentally transforming how businesses understand consumers, develop marketing strategies, and create products. This, in turn, creates superior value and enhances business performance. The brands leading the way today are proving that AI is an essential tool for innovation, efficiency, and competitive advantage.

For professionals looking to advance their careers in marketing, AI proficiency is becoming a must-have skill. Companies now expect marketers to leverage AI-driven insights, optimize campaigns through automation, and think strategically about how technology can enhance business outcomes.

If you haven’t started yet, now is the time to embrace AI and stay ahead.

About the Author

Fernanda Almada is an AI marketing strategist and coach with over 15 years of experience leading high-impact digital marketing initiatives. She is the founder of FernandaAlmada.ai, where she helps marketers simplify AI and use it effectively to stay ahead of the competition. Fernanda holds an MBA in Marketing from Nova Southeastern University (Class of 2020) and has worked with some of the most forward-thinking brands in digital marketing.

To help students and professionals explore AI’s potential in marketing, Fernanda has put together a free guide with 50 AI tools covering content creation, image and video generation, and more. The goal is to identify the best tools for your specific needs. Download your free guide here.