AI and the Future of Marketing

Marketing has reached a tipping point This year businesses and brands will spend more on digital advertising than traditional forms. Total digital ad spending in 2017 will equal $77.37 billion, or 38.4% of total ad spending, while TV ad spending will total $72.01 billion, or 35.8% of total media ad spending, according to eMarketer. The fastest growing component of internet ad spend will be social media, which will grow at an average rate of 20% a year globally to 2019 when it will hit $55 billion, according to Zenith. So although programmatic advertising on digital media sites has long been heralded the future, the smart businesses are looking to social. And together with artificial intelligence (AI) it appears set to transform how companies connect with their target markets. The distinction between social and digital media has become increasingly blurred with more and more websites incorporating social elements.