AI 168 – Weekly AI Marketing Newsletter

Edition: May 8, 2025

Hey Marketer,

This week, a client asked me if AI could handle their entire ad campaign—from copywriting to placement. I chuckled, recalling the days when AI was just a buzzword. But now, with companies like Meta and IBM making headlines for their AI-driven marketing strategies, it's clear that the game has changed. It's both exciting and a bit daunting to see how rapidly AI is reshaping our industry.

What really struck me was how confidently they assumed the tech was already "plug-and-play." Spoiler: it's not—yet. But it is getting scarily close. Every week, there's another announcement that makes me pause mid-scroll and think, "Well, that's going to change someone's job." So in this issue, we're unpacking the most practical—and honestly, wild—AI marketing moves from the past 7 days.

🧠 This Week's Highlights

🗞 Top 10 News Items

  1. Meta's AI Ad Automation – Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced plans to fully automate ad creation and placement using AI, potentially sidelining traditional ad agencies. Businesses would provide objectives and budgets, and Meta's AI would handle the rest.
    Why it matters: This could revolutionize the advertising industry, making it more accessible for small businesses but challenging for traditional agencies.
    👉 Read more
  2. WPP's AI-Generated Slogans – Advertising giant WPP is leveraging AI to generate creative slogans and campaign ideas, aiming to blend human creativity with machine efficiency.
    Why it matters: AI is becoming a collaborative tool in creative processes, not just a backend assistant.
    👉 Read more
  3. IBM's AI Replaces HR Roles – IBM has replaced hundreds of HR positions with AI agents capable of tasks like data analysis and email drafting, while simultaneously creating new roles in programming and sales.
    Why it matters: AI is reshaping job landscapes, emphasizing the need for adaptability in skill sets.
    👉 Read more
  4. Zalando's AI-Powered Marketing – European fashion retailer Zalando is using AI to accelerate the production of marketing imagery, reducing the process from weeks to days.
    Why it matters: Speed and efficiency in content creation can provide a competitive edge in fast-paced industries.
    👉 Read more
  5. AI's Impact on Traditional Media – A report indicates that AI and social media are diminishing the relevance of traditional websites, as users increasingly rely on AI-generated summaries and social platforms for information.
    Why it matters: Marketers need to adapt strategies to maintain visibility in AI-driven content ecosystems.
    👉 Read more
  6. Zurich Insurance's AI CRM – Zurich Insurance has launched an AI-powered CRM system that streamlines customer data access and recommends suitable insurance products, enhancing agent efficiency.
    Why it matters: AI can personalize customer experiences, leading to improved service and satisfaction.
    👉 Read more
  7. NBC's AI-Generated Voice – NBC Sports plans to use AI to recreate the voice of late NBA announcer Jim Fagan for promotional materials, blending nostalgia with technology.
    Why it matters: AI's ability to replicate human elements opens new avenues in content creation and branding.
    👉 Read more
  8. Paramark's AI Adtech Funding – Adtech startup Paramark has secured $6 million in funding to develop AI tools that quantify the impact of ad campaigns, aiming to bridge marketing and finance departments.
    Why it matters: Data-driven insights can enhance decision-making and justify marketing expenditures.
    👉 Read more
  9. OpenAI Updates ChatGPT, Users Criticize "Sycophantic" Behavior – OpenAI rolled out updates to GPT-4o, their latest AI model, but faced significant user backlash over its interaction style. Users complained that the updated model was being overly agreeable, with one describing it as having "sycophancy dialed up to 11." The company is now adjusting the model based on this feedback, indicating the ongoing challenges of balancing helpfulness with authenticity in AI assistants.
    Why it matters: How AI communicates directly affects brand tone, customer trust, and usability for marketers.
    👉 Read more
  10. AI for Sales and Marketing Market Growth – The AI market for sales and marketing is projected to grow from $58 billion in 2025 to over $240 billion by 2030, driven by demand for automation and personalized customer engagement.
    Why it matters: Understanding market trends helps in strategic planning and investment in AI technologies.
    👉 Read more

🛠 Tool of the Week: Peec AI

Peec AI is a Berlin-based platform that helps marketers optimize their content for AI-driven search engines like ChatGPT and Google's AI Overviews. It tracks performance across various AI platforms and provides insights to improve visibility.
👉 Try Peec AI

💡 AI Tip of the Week: The Experience Gap Finder

Here's a high-impact prompt to reshape your customer experience strategy:

For my [INDUSTRY] offering [PRODUCT/SERVICE]:

Analyze the current customer experience in my industry and identify:

Then create:

Why it matters: This prompt is powerful because it focuses on finding and exploiting gaps in the customer experience—something most businesses completely miss. While competitors focus on features and pricing, this approach helps you create memorable experiences that generate word-of-mouth marketing and true customer loyalty.

💬 From the DMs

Q: "I'm struggling to understand who I should be targeting with my marketing. How can I create a clear picture of my ideal customer so my messaging actually connects?"
A: Understanding exactly who you're selling to is the foundation of all effective marketing! I use this Customer Avatar Creator prompt that's been game-changing for businesses I work with:

The Ultimate Customer Avatar Creator (PROMPT)

For my [INDUSTRY] business selling [PRODUCT/SERVICE]:

Create a detailed persona of my ideal customer, including:

  1. Their demographic details (age, location, income, education level) relevant to my industry
  2. Their psychographic profile (values, interests, lifestyle, personality traits)
  3. Their specific pain points and challenges
  4. Their goals and aspirations that my offering can help them achieve
  5. Their common objections to purchasing solutions like mine
  6. Where they typically research and shop for what I offer
  7. What messaging would resonate with them
  8. How my unique value proposition specifically solves their problems

Then suggest:

Why this works so well: This prompt forces you to deeply understand who you're selling to instead of creating generic marketing that tries to speak to everyone (and ends up connecting with no one). Just replace [INDUSTRY] and [PRODUCT/SERVICE] once at the top, and you'll get a complete customer profile that transforms how you communicate.

The businesses I've helped with this have seen conversion rates increase by 40-70% by speaking directly to their ideal customers' specific needs rather than using one-size-fits-all messaging. It's like having a marketing superpower!

🧠 Gabriel's Take

The integration of AI into marketing is not about replacement but enhancement. Embracing AI tools can lead to more efficient and effective strategies, but the core of creativity remains human.

🎬 Fun Find of the Week

If Rose had a Snapchat account
This AI-generated "Titanic Snapchat" moment had us laughing and slightly unsettled. Rose with a selfie stick and a Snapchat caption? Internet gold.

AI-generated Titanic Snapchat moment

👉 Check it out on X

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