Is artificial intelligence a substitute for creativity in marketing?

Until this year, Artificial Intelligence (AI) in marketing was seen as a trend, with professionals exploring tools such as content generators and chatbots.For 2025, research institutes point to a new reality: AI is no longer a future promise and is already shaping the market in a concrete way.

The newly released report The Year of Impact (The Year of Impact), conducted by global media company Dentsu, for example, indicates that society is entering the “Algorithmic Media ERA”. In this era, AI and algorithms will enable personalized and real-time interactions between brands and their customers. In practice, this means adjusting messages according to the behavior of consumers in each micromoment of their buying process: “eu I want to know”, “eu I want to buy” and “eu I want to go”. 

This near future can be illustrated with Ana, a hypothetical consumer, who is walking in a mall. On her wrist, she carries a smart watch that, connected to the internet, monitors her habits and consumption preferences.In recent days, Ana has researched several models of smartphones online. Now, while passing in front of an electronics store, the store's AI detects its proximity and, based on recent searches, suggests a personalized offer for the exact smartphone model she had been considering.

“This type of interaction (agile, personalized and accurate) IS what we call dynamic customization of the micro-moments of purchase; there, AI acts in real time to adjust communication according to the immediate needs of the consumer”, explains Marketing specialist Leonardo Oda, who is also CEO of LEODA Marketing Intelligence.

In the illustrative case, the AI analyzed Ana's behavior and acted on it at the right time, integrating location and preference data to create a relevant experience.Instead of a generic message, Ana received an offer that seemed tailored to her, at the exact moment she was most likely to make a purchase decision.

What lies ahead in AI marketing?

Ana's story illustrates how artificial intelligence is already transforming marketing, and at the heart of this revolution is AI's ability to process an immense amount of data. “ By analyzing the history of interactions, geographic data, and buying behavior, AI can offer insights that simply wouldn't be possible for a human team”, says Leonardo Oda.

And what to expect for the future? An even more sophisticated combination of processing large volumes of data, in real time and connected with the so-called Internet of Things (IoT), which captures information from “intelligent”, such as watches, cars and appliances.This vast data ecosystem will expand the ability to capture and understand live consumer behavior. “With this, AI will have more accuracy to identify what each potential customer wants, often before the person even knows”, predicts Leonardo Oda.

Will there be room for the human touch in AI marketing?

Despite the positive points of the advancement of technology in marketing, AI generates the algorithmic “bubble”, which limits communication to predictive interests and behaviors, according to the Dentsu report.And to pierce the bubble, the recommendation is to capture consumer attention more deeply and emotionally through storytelling.This is because, according to the report, by telling relevant and resonant stories, brands can overcome the barriers created by algorithms that filter content based on individual preferences. 

Leonardo Oda believes that, in this scenario, the combination of advanced data analysis and human creativity will be the differential of brands. If on the one hand AI allows brands to reach the consumer at the right time, on the other, it is human creativity that will transform this contact into a meaningful connection. “The human touch will continue to be essential to create campaigns that really connect with people. AI delivers us the right moment, but what to say at this moment?It still depends on us”, concludes Oda.