IBM says generative AI has improved its marketing engagement and efficiency

The news: IBM's innovative use of Adobe's Firefly AI image generator in marketing campaigns has significantly increased engagement and efficiency, according to a case study shared with Axios.

• By generating 200 images and over 1,000 variations, IBM's AI-driven campaign achieved 26 times higher engagement compared with traditional methods. IBM is sharing its success story, emphasizing the efficiency and effectiveness of generative AI in content creation.

Zoom out: Media companies lead the pack in adopting genAI for marketing, with 63% already allocating budget to these initiatives, per Capgemini data from October 2023.

• Image generation is a notable genAI application that 16% of marketing professionals use globally, per Mediaocean. Still, that dramatically lags behind responses such as data analysis (39%) and market research (35%).

Firefly 101: Commercially available since last September, Firefly is integrated across Adobe's platforms.

• The tool includes a Content Credentials feature for transparency, ensuring generated content is ethical and legally sound.
• The model, trained on Adobe's stock and copyright-expired public domain content, emphasizes responsible AI use and content authenticity, potentially setting a standard for AI platforms industrywide.

Why it matters: This surge in engagement highlights genAI's critical role in marketing, showing its ability to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and boost campaign effectiveness in the corporate world.

• By next year, 75% of CMOs anticipate their organizations will embrace generative AI for crafting content, per IBM’s Institute for Business Value (IBV). The report found that more than 42% of CMOs said scaling hyper-personalization is a marketing priority, and 64% expect to use genAI for content tailoring in the next year or two.
• With legal and ethical considerations at the forefront, Adobe's commitment to indemnifying businesses and focusing on copyright-safe sources positions Firefly as a valuable tool.

Our take: IBM's work marks a notable milestone in the integration of AI in marketing. It showcases not just a leap in engagement rates but a way to deliver more personalized, efficient, and ethically aware marketing practices.

• IBM is touting its success with a vendor’s genAI at the same time it is publishing thought leadership content on genAI’s business value—which could be seen as self-serving.
• Nevertheless, the potential for AI to revolutionize how companies engage with their audiences is immense, promising a future where creativity and technology go hand in hand to produce content that resonates more deeply with consumers.