The impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on digital marketing

Are we to believe that marketers will no longer have a role to play in companies

in companies thanks to the development of AI technological advances in 2025 ?

The growing role of artificial intelligence in digital marketing has led to significant changes in the way companies approach personalization, customer engagement, and the optimization of advertising campaigns. However, it's vital to understand that, although AI is taking over some tasks previously performed by humans, it doesn't necessarily mean the disappearance of marketers, but rather a transformation of their functions.

Automating routine tasks and freeing creativity

As we all know, one of the major contributions of AI is the automation of repetitive tasks, such as managing advertising campaigns, sending marketing e-mails, and analyzing customer data. AI algorithms can not only rapidly analyze large quantities of data, but also adjust marketing strategies in real time, based on the results obtained. For example, AI can automatically optimize advertising bids on platforms such as Google Ads and Meta Ads, improving ad targeting and reducing the cost of customer acquisition (Bhattacharya & Saxema, 2023).

This gain in efficiency frees up marketing teams' time for higher value-added tasks, such as creating complex strategies, deeply understanding consumer behavior, and innovating creative approaches. Consequently, rather than replacing marketers, AI offers them the opportunity to focus on more strategic aspects, reinforcing their importance in decision-making processes. Automation becomes an ally that enhances human creativity and innovation in the development of new campaigns.

Large-scale personalization and an enhanced strategic role

AI excels at personalizing customer experiences, an aspect that has become essential to modern marketing. Systems powered by machine learning algorithms can analyze customers' behaviors, preferences and purchase histories in depth, in order to offer them highly targeted product or content recommendations. This leads to higher conversion rates and improved customer engagement. Studies show that this massive personalization, which is impossible to achieve manually on this scale, boosts customer loyalty while maximizing revenue for companies (Krit, 2020).

However, this personalization is not a purely automated task. Marketers play an essential role in interpreting the results provided by AI algorithms. They must adapt strategies based on feedback, and adjust campaigns to meet changing consumer expectations. The role of marketers thus becomes even more strategic, drawing on insights generated by AI to design more engaging, better-targeted experiences. AI, combined with human reflection, becomes a lever for proposing more sophisticated, tailor-made marketing approaches.

Complementarity between AI and marketing professionals

It is therefore clear that AI will not replace marketers, but will enhance their ability to manage complex campaigns and better understand their audience. A report published by (Davenport et al., 2020) concludes that AI in marketing will be most effective if it serves to augment the role of professionals rather than replace it. AI makes it possible to automate certain tasks, but it should be noted that humans remain indispensable for interpreting results, adjusting strategies, and above all, bringing a creative and emotional touch to advertising campaigns.

By 2025, marketers will need to integrate new technical skills to collaborate effectively with AI systems. This implies a need for upskilling (updating skills) and  reskilling (acquiring new skills) in order to remain competitive in an environment where technology plays a central role. These skills include data management, understanding AI algorithms, and the ability to evaluate the results of AI-based campaigns to maximize their effectiveness (Morandini et al., 2023).

All that said, AI is a powerful tool that is literally redefining the functions of digital marketing, but it is not a replacement for marketers. Companies that combine AI with strategic human skills will see not only improved marketing performance, but also the ability to respond more nimbly to consumer needs. Tomorrow's marketers will need to master these new technologies while capitalizing on their human expertise to innovate and guide marketing strategies towards optimal results.

References

Bhattacharya, D., and Saxema, D. (2023). TRANSFORMING MARKETING THROUGH IA: A LITERATURE REVIEW AND FUTURE RESEARCH AGENDA. Journal of World Economics. https://doi.org/10.1956/jge.v19i2.691.

Davenport, T., Guha, A., Grewal, D. and Breßgott, T. (2019). How artificial intelligence will change the future of marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Sciences, 48, 24 - 42. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-019-00696-0.

Krit, S. (2020). Intelligent recommendations in e-commerce: a business intelligence approach to personalized customer engagement and increased sales. American Journal of Business and Operations Research. https://doi.org/10.54216/ajbor.010202.

Morandini, S., Fraboni, F., Angelis, M., Puzzo, G., Giusino, D., & Pietrantoni, L. (2023). The impact of artificial intelligence on workers' skills: skill enhancement and retraining in organizations. Informer Sci. Int. J. an Emerg. Transdisciplinary, 26, 39-68. https://doi.org/10.28945/5078.