Marketers comfortable with rise of AI, finds Kantar

Kantar also said in the new report that consumers are increasingly vocal with their demands of brands, with 80% saying they “make an effort” to buy from companies that support causes important to them.

The findings are from Kantar’s inaugural Marketing Trends report, with conclusions based on several Kantar studies using attitudinal and behavioural data. The findings on marketer perspectives of AI were based on media insights from around 16,000 consumers and 900 senior marketers.

The report identified 10 key trends for the year ahead, with one being the importance of generative AI.

Processes for managing confrontational risk will need to be embedded in marketing planning to ensure brands are in sync with broader culture, Kantar said.

The report found that brands that speak out on global issues in a way that’s consistent with their image – and then stand their ground – will strengthen consumers’ support, despite possible short-term controversies.

While AI-based attention metrics are on the rise, Kantar found that 62% of marketers still preferred more traditional behavioural metrics such as view time.

There was also an increase in sustainability metrics being included in key performance indicators, up from 26% in 2021 to 42% in 2022, and brands seen as ‘innovative’ were more likely to achieve growth, despite relatively low levels of innovation post-Covid-19, Kantar said.

Other trends noted by Kantar include the rise of challenger brands, the rise of premiumisation as pricing strategy and the popularity of retail media as an advertising channel for shoppers.

Brands should also review digital strategy and content in light of changes to search, which is being disrupted by AI and large language models, according to Kantar.

Gonca Bubani, global thought leader – media at Kantar, said: “A culture of continuous learning and data-driven decision-making is essential for marketers to navigate the technical and cultural shift we are living.

“Generative AI is not a hype, but a transformational development that is already profoundly impacting our industry. But technology without human ingenuity is inconsequential, and that’s the nuance that comes from the intersection of meaningful data and expertise.”