Editorial

Generative AI is revolutionizing marketing in ways we've never seen, marking a seismic shift in how brands interact with their audiences. Cutting-edge technology such as GPT-4, Midjourney or Claude AI chatbots have taken the world by storm. The technology is not only highly impactful – it is often easy to apply and quick to adopt.

At its core, generative AI excels at highly efficient and highly customized content creation. It can generate compelling copy, blog posts, marketing images or designs that engage customers in novel and captivating ways. These developments have the potential to disrupt entire value chains of creative marketing.

But it's not just about content creation. Generative AI is also enhancing customer experience. In retailing, chatbots allow shoppers to search use cases as opposed to products. Generative AI assists sales representatives in making mundane tasks more efficient and providing better information for high-value activities. It can analyze customer data, facilitate deep dives where needed and simulate market response for more effective marketing campaigns.

However, with great power comes great responsibility. Ethical considerations such as data privacy and the potential for misuse are paramount. Generative AI can hallucinate and produce unwanted bias. While it cannot fully replace the human touch in marketing, concerns about job replacement are rising.

In this issue, leading researchers discuss these opportunities and challenges. They cover applications in advertising, search engine marketing and sales. They delve into how technologies can be prompted, combined and effectively trained for individual marketing objectives. This is complemented by industry insights, including the view of Taboola's CEO Adam Singolda on Generative AI in online advertising and publishing.

As we move forward, the fusion of AI and human creativity will undoubtedly lead to more innovative, effective and engaging marketing strategies. I hope you enjoy reading this issue and gain useful insights for this path.

Mark Heitmann

Hamburg, February 2024