AI in Marketing: turning point and challenge! Digital and Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is reshaping Digital Marketing in ways that were unimaginable just a decade ago, emerging as a silent force, capable of transforming the way of working and offering fundamental new opportunities to make a 'difference'.

Artificial Intelligence: a creative partner  
AI in Content Marketing mainly manifests itself as a powerful tool to assist in content creation. It does not replace human creativity, but enhances it.

According to a report by Gartner - one of the most important technology research and consulting companies - AI will soon be involved in much of digital content production, making every process faster and data-driven. It is no coincidence that this approach allows marketers to create targeted campaigns and specific content aimed at target audiences.

These opportunities have already been integrated into advertising platforms (such as those of Google and Meta) for some time to enhance and maximize campaign performance (in terms of ads, targeting, channels, ...). A challenge that allowed us to put these opportunities into practice was the project dedicated to Case IH, using new standards for the integration of Artificial Intelligence in the Lead generation process through Digital marketing campaigns.

Using AI Intelligently: what are the current applications? 
One of the most obvious examples of AI in this context is the use of the now well-known chatbots. These 'intelligent' programs can interact with customers in real time, answering their questions and guiding them through the buyer journey. 

A recent conversational commerce solution allows easy implementation of customized chatbots for online shopping. But that's not all: sellers have the ability to develop virtual assistants that can conduct meaningful dialogues with customers, using natural language to suggest products that meet their preferences. 

The advancing innovation 
AI-powered intelligent agents are able to perform a wide range of functions, including offering tailored recommendations, managing appointment bookings, or monitoring order status. This solution can also benefit from high-level language translation capabilities. 

Platforms like ChatGPT and Midjourney are opening new avenues for professionals, offering tools that can generate text, images, and videos automatically and in a personalized way. The result? High-speed, high-quality content, while reducing workload and costs. 

Recently, well-known IT companies have integrated generative AI tools allowing users, for example, to generate and view artwork on displays, and arrange images in all kinds of contexts. 

Personalization on a large scale  
Advertising content marketing, it must be specified, is effective only if it reaches the right person with the right message at the right time. This is where the possibility of analyzing large amounts of data to predict behaviors and personalize content in relation to specific audience segments comes into play. Platforms like Marketo and HubSpot use AI to segment users and personalize emails and web content. 

Events: personalizing the participant experience  
Artificial Intelligence is also revolutionizing the way we experience public events, transforming the collective experience into something more interactive and engaging. In fact, through the projection of content generated by AI, organizers are now enhancing audience immersion, allowing them to experience a deeper connection with the themes presented: in the form of dynamic visualizations or stories narrated by artificial intelligence, or with an avatar that welcomes and guides participants. 

These innovations are not simply technologically fascinating tools; they have been shown to increase engagement, making participants active. Some examples have been some of our projects for the Gruppo Editoriale GEDI and for the Stellantis Electrification Days. 

Training  
The application in training also represents a significant turning point, in this case for professional training in the sector. In fact, it is possible to personalize learning paths based on individual needs and skills, providing highly relevant tools and knowledge. Let's just think about Personalized Training and the application of Interactive Simulations.  

An example is our work done for IVECO Asia, in which we created a series of training newsletter mailings, personalized not only at the market level, but also at the dealer level, with specific data for each student and a language avatar; all designed for each target, to maximize clarity and involvement in the training process. 

IVECO training: personalized content and AI videos to engage every team  

Intelligence in tourism 
AI is also transforming this sector, opening new frontiers for a personalized and interactive travel experience. A recent example is the integration in travel insurance, with automatic compensation and simpler and faster claims management. 

Furthermore, research and development in the field of AI are leading to the creation of immersive tourism experiences, as demonstrated by the CRS4 project, which uses virtual reality and conversational artificial intelligence to explore Sardinia in an engaging way.  

Available to the user 
The healthcare sector is not exempt, offering innovative solutions to improve patient care and optimize hospital processes. 

Recently, there have been significant advances in healthcare, as evidenced by the latest news. For example, a pilot pediatric screening project for celiac disease and diabetes has been launched, involving four Italian regions and using AI algorithms to analyze data and identify subjects at risk. 

Naturally, AI is helping to improve communication between healthcare companies and patients, with the aim of increasing satisfaction and service efficiency.  

Predictive Analysis 
AI not only improves content creation but also its distribution. Using predictive analysis, companies can predict which types of content will generate greater engagement and conversion, allowing them to proactively optimize content marketing strategies. This leads to anticipating market changes and adapting strategies accordingly, because AI is increasingly learning to understand consumer preferences, habits, and needs, optimizing activities for the customer journey.  

Automatic SEO Optimization  
Needless to say, AI can play a crucial role in search engine optimization (SEO). In fact, tools like Semrush now incorporate this resource to analyze keyword trends, suggest changes, and even write pieces of optimized content, thus helping brands gain online visibility.  

AI in adapting engagement strategies 
It can be used to improve employee engagement through various applications, such as assisting in identifying strengths and weaknesses, setting long-term goals, providing real-time feedback and advice, and creating progress reports. 

In trade marketing  
Trade marketing is an area of B2B (business-to-business) that focuses on marketing activities aimed at commercial intermediaries, such as distributors and wholesalers. 

Thanks to its ability to recognize and categorize items, quantify inventory, and automatically calculate metrics, AI determines the optimal allocation of shelf space and monitors the frequency of product replenishment, sending all relevant information directly to company servers. 

This approach significantly reduces the costs associated with excessive storage and waste, contributing to more sustainable and economically advantageous management.  

Energy Efficiency   
Artificial intelligence is also applied in this field. This includes optimizing the use of resources such as water and pesticides and controlling HVAC systems.  

Aspects also analyzed during a 2021 project: the use of IoT/IIoT software for energy management in steel mills. This system integrates the electricity market with utility management and internal consumption. Funded by the European Union, it involved collaboration between the TeCIP Institute of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, the VDEh Betribforschungsinstitut GmbH in Germany, and Danieli Automation Spa in Italy. 

Ethics and Transparency

While AI opens up new horizons, it also presents ethical dilemmas. For example, transparency about its content generation is essential to maintain public trust. Finally, regulation is trying to keep pace with new technologies, to ensure they are used responsibly.