Predictions 2024: effectiveness will be the next frontier in the AI battle

Against this backdrop, in 2024 it will be those marketers who can harness AI capabilities to their advantage who will take the lead in this brave new world – not just for content creation efficiencies but to measure creative effectiveness. That’s the prediction from Kantar, at least, as we caught up with its global creative thought leadership director Vera Sidlova following the launch of its Kantar Marketing Trends 2024 report.

Unleashing content & creative efficiencies at scale

At the creative ideation stage, “AI has the potential to make the process more dynamic,” says Sidlova, “where concepts are not just visualized but synthesized with unprecedented efficiency.” She sees a world where “the promise of generative AI lies in unprecedented scale – to create more content in a way that is easier than ever before.”

This sense of optimism is supported by Kantar’s Media Reactions 2023, which shows that 67% of marketers feel positive about the possibilities of Gen AI, indicating a rapid adoption of the new technology – in particular for using it to create efficiencies in the way creative ad copy is developed and personalized.

Marketers and agencies have already been experimenting with Gen AI to create more visual concepts, infusing new impulses into the ideation stage to benefit discussions, as well as aiding in crafting compelling storylines.

But with this potential for increasing amounts of content being generated across the creative and marketing industries, there will be even more content competing for consumers’ attention. That means that “the fundamentals of good marketing will remain – if not become even more important,” says Sidlova. “And we expect to see greater interest in the role of AI in understanding and ensuring the effectiveness of advertising, not just efficiency in how ads are created.”

AI-powered creative effectiveness

In this landscape, Sidlova notes that the need to understand the effectiveness of creative content will grow further – and that’s where AI also has a role to play if measurement approaches can match it.

“Marketers agree that knowing the strength of the creative assets is an imperative,” she says. “Our Media Reactions study found that 76% of marketers think that all major assets in a campaign should be tested. However, there is a disconnect between what marketers think and what they do. 42% of marketers that test little to none of their creative, so their creative efforts may be a shot in the dark.”

The answer, Sidlova says, is a culture of continual testing-and-learning and an open-minded approach to using AI tools alongside traditional measurement: “Adopting a hybrid approach to testing whereby some ads are researched with real people and others are tested via AI solutions can unlock opportunities for marketers to understand creative quality at scale. Whereas in the past, ad testing budgets might cover survey testing for five ads a year, with a similar investment it’s now possible to understand creative quality across a much higher volume of assets.”

AI-powered creative testing tools can also ensure that the creative is tailored to the channel, making it possible to explore and produce different versions of the same creative execution at speed and at scale.

If marketers want to get ahead in 2024, they will need to not only embrace the possibilities of Gen AI but seek out AI measurement approaches that match that pace and scale to be able to understand creative effectiveness and create better content in a constant iteration process.

“Key to success will be to lean into the opportunities and challenges AI provides, focus on developing the skills you need to work with AI tools effectively, and how they apply to your brand and industry. This is a moment to step up and show leadership within your business and the wider industry,” concludes Sidlova.

For more insights on the big predictions ahead, download Kantar’s Marketing Trends 2024 and join Kantar’s head of media and insights UK Hannah Walley at The Drum Predictions.