IMC in the Era of AI
45th IAA World Congress Penang 2024 receives prestigious Olive Crown Award 2025
08/04/2025
CREATIVE INTELLIGENCE – learnings from Cannes Festival of Creativity 2025 and the Power of AI for Growth
06/05/2025A Practitioner’s POV
Keynote Address by Dr. Milan Agnihotri ¹
With AI and Generative AI becoming everyday tools of the marketing and communication process, several myths around these tools have also emerged trade publications (including podcasts), general interest daily publications (daily newspapers/ news portals) and professional discourses.
However, the realities around usage of AI and Generative AI in the marketing and communications processes are very different from these myths. Keynote address tackles some of the common myths vs. the realities in the marketing practice.
Since the conference is hosted and steered by an academic institute of repute, the keynote address is divided into two parts. First part examines the academic literature on AI and Generative AI in marketing to understand the key issues and frameworks being explored in academics research and if there are any emerging themes. Second part discussed a practitioner’s POV on usage and potential of AI and Generative AI in IMC. Part 3 of the keynote concludes the future actions to be taken by academics and well as industry practitioners alike.
PART 1: AI and Generative AI in IMC – Academic Literature Perspective:
There are four broad themes in the existing academic research on use of AI/ Generative AI in the IMC.
- Content Generation and Communications Creativity: This is the most common usage of Generative AI in IMC. As early as in 2022, a study by Pagni & Wind (2022)² explored how AI is being leveraged to assist in marketing creativity processes and concluded that that AI-generated content can at best complement human creativity. The study also explores the potential for AI to generated alternative ideas that humans might not be able to conceive so quickly. AI certainly facilitates more effective marketing decisions in terms of efficiency, they concluded.
- Personalization and Consumer Engagement: Babatunde et. al (2024)³ examined AI's role in personalizing consumer experiences of the IMC process. They explored the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence in personalising marketing strategies, delving into the theoretical underpinnings of consumer engagement. They also investigate how AI can be leveraged to develop targeted and relevant marketing experiences.
- Efficiencies in Ad Campaigns: Recently Yoo (2024)⁴ conducted a research project to analyse AI-optimized ad campaigns. The research project examines the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on marketing strategies across various industries, focusing on how AI-driven technologies enhance customer engagement and optimize marketing campaigns to achieve efficiencies. The research project concludes that the AI-driven tools such as recommendation systems and predictive analytics have proven outcomes in enhancing marketing effectiveness.
- Ethical Considerations: Since beginning ethical aspects of AI usages have debated a lot. In recent study of literature and practices on AI usage, Goncalves et. al (2023)⁵ discussed the ethical implications of using AI in marketing, such as data privacy, transparency, and bias. They argue that despite the recent developments in AI, ethical questions arise when consumers contemplate how their data is being treated. This research provides important theoretical and managerial implications for the ethical aspects of AI in marketing by highlighting the ethical and moral questions surrounding AI's acceptance.
² Margherita Pagani and Yoram Wind (2022), “Unlocking Marketing Creativity Using Artifical Intelligence” Journal of Interactive Marketing, Volume 60, Issue 1.
³ Sodiq Odetunde Babatunde, Opeyemi Odejide, Tolulope Edunjobi, Demilola Ogundipe (2024), “The Role of AI in Marketing Personalization: A Theoretical Exploration of Consumer Engagement Strategies, International Journal of Management and Entrepreneurship Research 6(3) 936-949.
⁴ Willian Yoo (2024), “The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Marketing Strategies”, International Journal of Science and Research Archive, 2024, 13(01), 3211–3223
⁵ Ana Rita Gonçalves, Diego Costa Pinto, Paulo Rita, Tamara Pires (2023), “Artificial Intelligence and Its Ethical Implications for Marketing”, Emerging Science Journal, Vol.7, No. 2, 2023.
PART 2: AI and Generative AI in IMC – Myths vs. Realities in Industry Practice:
Practitioners of IMC are often conflicted with six key myths in implementing AI or Generative AI tools for IMC:
- AI/ Generative AI will replace humans at the workplace: Triggered by the recent layoffs by the tech giants like Microsoft, Google and Amazon, fear of losing jobs to AI is one of the biggest barriers in getting the workforce adopt AI and Generative AI in IMC. The reality is that the human skills are still needed for understanding cultural and social nuances that drive consumer engagement with branded initiatives or content. More than 80% global CMOs⁶ also believe that AI is more a boon than a bane to improve human efficiencies and budget ROI.
- AI/ Generative AI will increase social divide: Trade press and industry chatter are rife with the debate on widening social gap with AI becoming the new status symbol for people and businesses alike. There are conversations of a new world order – AI haves and AI have nots due to AI assisted education access, healthcare systems, job market and social mobility. In reality, brands and businesses have proven beyond doubt that AI actually empowers them to address real life social challenges – example Visit Portugal: Easy Reading Initiative.
- AI powered marketing will propel consumerism and sustainability crisis: With rapid personalization of marketing activities enabled through AI, this myth is pushed by the ESG activists and AI opponents alike. However, tech brands like Intel and consumer retail brands like Nature Farm Fresh have proven that right use of AI can address the social and climate crisis more effectively. A case in point is Organic Intelligence project by Intel and Nature Farm Fresh in the US.
- AI has little role in the product component of the classic 4Ps of marketing: Critics of AI suggest that its role is limited to the advertising and communication, distribution and pricing efficiencies. AI role is questioned in the key component of marketing i.e. the product. Businesses and brands have proven time and again that AI can and will play a critical role in product development and features optimization. A case example is the Tuna Scope by Dentsu Lab Tokyo, where AI is used to standardize tuna fish quality benchmarks globally.
- AI is suitable only for lower funnel marketing: This argument is prevalent amongst the practitioners and academicians alike. Both the proponents and opponents of AI are on the same side of this argument. However, the innovator brands like Axiata and Coca-Cola have proven it otherwise. For example Axiata Raya Remix campaign, leveraging AI to establish Axiata’s Brand Proposition of ‘Next Gen Digital Champion’ and brand promise of ‘Advancing Asia’. The campaign addresses the issue of increasing digital divide amongst older and younger generations due to rapid advancements in technologies.
- AI is the ultimate disruptor technology: Propagated by the inventors of AI tools for marketing, this is the biggest myth. Like all the past technologies – internet, smart phones, social platforms, OTT etc., AI will definitely change the ways of engaging audiences and consumers with a message or a brand. But over time, it will also be disrupted by other technologies. For example, advancement in sensing technologies could bring the next disruptive revolution in marketing as demonstrated by Project Humanity done by Dentsu Lab Tokyo.
⁶ Dentsu CMO report 2024.
PART 3: Conclusion:
Interestingly, academic researchers and the industry practitioners have several common observations. Both are aware about the realities related of use of AI and Generative AI in the IMC, and both acknowledge the prevailing myths. Both understand that due to the relative novelty of the technology and the speed of innovation makes it difficult to keep pace with its scope and opportunity. However, a more collaborative approach between industry and academia on AI usage in IMC would expedite its acceptance and adaptation in IMC and settle the myths surrounding it.
People must understand that there is no going back on the technological innovations that are being adopted in marketing. AI will never replace humans in the jobs. It is the humans who have mastered the skills of AI usage will replace other humans who have not adapted it.
¹ Dr Milan Agnihotri is currently serving as Executive Council of International Advertising Association, Malaysia and is employed by Dentsu Group Malaysia as Head of Growth and Strategy. The views expressed in this Keynote address are his personal and endorsed by International Advertising Association, Malaysia chapter.
