The Week in Data Marketing, MarTech and AI: December 6, 2024 edition

Welcome to The Week in Data Marketing, MarTech and AI, a weekly roundup from Quad Insights that sums up the latest news surrounding the technology-driven transformation of marketing.

Data brokers would face new restrictions on their ability to sell sensitive personal information such as Social Security numbers under a new rule just proposed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Douglas Gillison of Reuters reports that the rule would classify brokers as “credit reporting agencies,” putting them under the strict regulations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. CFPB Director Rohit Chopra described the brokering of personal data as a “staggering” problem, with potential ramifications for national security and public safety. The rule, open for public comment now through March 2025, comes as the CFPB faces political challenges from the incoming administration (see, for instance, “‘Delete CFPB’: Musk calls for elimination of consumer bureau,” from Politico).

See also:

• “CDIA Warns of Far-Reaching Consequences in CFPB’s Proposed Data Broker Rule” (Consumer Data Industry Association press release)
• “US plan to protect consumers from data brokers faces dim future under Trump” (Ars Technica)
• “FTC Says Data Brokers Unlawfully Tracked Protesters and US Military Personnel” (Wired)

The company behind ChatGPT is signaling a new phase in its development with the hiring of Kate Rouch, formerly of Coinbase, as its inaugural chief marketing officer, Asa Hiken of Ad Age reports. Rouch will be responsible both for marketing OpenAI’s expanding product suite as well as positioning the company as artificial general intelligence (AGI) comes closer to reality. The hiring means that “now you can expect to see us go on offense,” Rouch told Aiken. They’ve not wasted any time: Laurie Sullivan of Media Daily News reports that OpenAI has been on a “creative hiring spree,” bringing aboard veterans from the agency and marketing worlds over the past year.

More on generative AI

• “The company behind Arc is building a new AI web browser called Dia” (The Verge)
• “Amazon unveils surprise new video and image AI models to compete with the best on the market” (TechRadar)
• “Google’s new generative AI video model is now available” (The Verge)
• ICYMI: “AI Trained From 139,000 TV/Movie Scripts — Who Gets Credited? Do Brands Buy In?” (MediaPost)

Footwear tends to evolve slowly but surely, based on incremental user feedback. With its newest shoe release, Puma is learning how to speed up the process using generative AI. Design of the new Inverse Rev began with an AI-driven re-interpretation of an older shoe, the Puma Inhale, which was then refined in traditional ways by humans, Peter Verry of Footwear News reports. The project is “a deep dive into a new design mindset,” Puma Lead Product Line Manager Scottie Gurwitz said in a statement. AI was also central to the creation of the marketing campaign supporting the Inverse with the involvement of 3D and generative AI specialist Leilanni Todd of Floam World. (See also “From chaos to killer content at scale,” a Quad blog post that discusses the use of technology in creative work.)

More on humans and AI

• “The Future of AI: Understanding Capabilities, Safety, and Human Collaboration” (TechBullion)
• “Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel: AI trip planners will soon be better than human travel agent” (HNR Hotel News)
• “AI and labor: Change is inevitable, but human capabilities remain essential” (S&P Global)

“My fundamental belief is, if you’re looking at your phone more than you’re looking in somebody’s eyes, that’s a problem.”

—Apple CEO Tim Cook, to Wired reporter Steven Levy, when asked about criticisms of smart phones as tools of distraction.

The playing field for marketing technology solutions will keep expanding in 2025 as generative AI moves deeper into the mainstream, according to the just-released “MarTech in 2025” report from Scott Brinker of the Chiefmartech blog and Frans Riemersma of MartechTribe. Because AI allows for the creation of “instant software,” the authors project that MarTech tools will become more widely available. Brinker and Riemersma call this the “hypertail” phenomenon: “an explosion of custom IT-built, citizen-built and agent-built software as an effectively infinite extension of software choice.” In 2024, the authors, who conduct an annual audit of the MarTech market, saw a 27.8% increase in the number of MarTech-related applications.

See also:

• “AI is poised to disrupt the world of martech vendors and users” (Martech.org)
• “For CMOs ‘instant software’ will upend app development” (Mi3)

More on 2025 trends

• “Top digital marketing trends and predictions for 2025” (Think With Google)
• “The Future of B2B Marketing: 11 Predictions for 2025, From New Playbooks to Strategic Brands and AI Agents” (MarketingProfs)
• “Customer Data Platform Market Predictions for 2025” (Customer Data Platform Institute)

Probably should have seen this one coming: On the heels of Coca-Cola’s release of mostly-AI-generated holiday ads, a competing beverage brand is having fun with a spoof. Self-described “zero sugar, naturally sweetened” soda Zevia takes a jab at Coke for, well, its artificiality. “Time to get the fake out of here and try something real,” the brand says in its “Break from Artificial” ad. (Read more about Zevia’s campaign in The Week in CPG.)

More AI and data activations

• “Western Union is banking on first-party data to woo brands to its new media network” (AdExchanger)
• “Klick combats hug shortage with AI holiday video” (MediaPost)
• “GoBlue’s new app lets you track your Bluesky stats” (TechCrunch)
• ICYMI: “Cheers to Innovation: Tost Beverages Rolls Out AI Toast Generator” (Consumer Goods Technology)