The Week in Data Marketing, MarTech and AI: October 18, 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.

The proper use of data remains a top priority for advertisers, with 86% saying they see the importance and value of standards, according to a new survey from Claravine and Advertiser Perceptions. But, Marketing Dive’s Aaron Baer reports, less than half feel “very confident” about the standards implemented by their organizations even as they see the potential for standards to improve ROI. The findings are part of the “State of Marketing Data Standards in 2024” report, which asked 141 advertisers for their perspectives on standards in naming, storing and sharing data and the use of metadata and tracking codes.

See also:

• “Google puts 11-year data retention limit on advertising” (Marketing Edge)
• “How Kroger is using standardized metrics to boost its retail media network” (Grocery Dive)

More data marketing trends & insights:

• “7 Deadly Sins of Data-Driven Marketing” (Marketoonist)
• “Black beauty consumer marketing data for brands—inside the key factors influencing buying habits” (Ad Age)
• “The Data Revolution: Transforming Credit Union Marketing for the Digital Age” (Credit Union Times)

More data strategy:

• “The power of data: using insights to drive successful luxury marketing campaigns in China” (The Drum)
• “Warren Buffett’s GEICO repatriates work from the cloud, continues ambitious infrastructure overhaul” (The Stack)

Marketers involved in selling subscription-based services face new regulatory requirements as the Federal Trade Commission implements a broadened “click to cancel” rule. The FTC voted 3-2 to finalize the new rule, which requires sellers to offer cancellation methods to customers that are as easy to navigate as sign-up processes. The new rule is part of an effort to update the 1973 “Negative Option Rule,” which seeks to combat unfair or deceptive practices in subscription marketing, according to an FTC release. Dissenting commissioners argued that the rule exceeds the FTC’s legal authority.

See also:

• “Planet Fitness risks losing customers with FTC’s ‘Click to Cancel’ rule” (The Express Tribune)
• “The FTC Cracks Down on Unfair and Deceptive Practices Involving the Use of AI” (Wilmer Hale)
• “From AI to Antitrust: Navigating Tensions Between Innovation and Market Power” (Public Knowledge)

More brand safety and regulation news:

• “AI helped the feds catch $1 billion of fraud in one year. And it’s just getting started” (CNN Business)
• “NYT sends AI startup Perplexity ‘cease and desist’ notice over content use” (The Current)

Much has been said about the idea that artificial intelligence may one day replace human workers. But some companies are emphasizing the ways in which humans and AI can work together. SimpliSafe, a provider of connected home security systems, just introduced Active Guard Outdoor Protection, a premium upgrade to its subscription service. Active Guard deploys AI as an early-warning system to send intrusion alerts to a human agent for follow-up, Brian Heater from TechCrunch reports.

More on human/AI interaction:

• “Balancing Act: How Human Ingenuity and AI Can Coexist in Creative Marketing” (Thrive Global)
• ICYMI: “Human and AI: How Can We Create a Winning Partnership?” (The Educator Online)

“It seems like AI is going to be great for a lot of people. It’s also going to be great for the attackers. One example is phishing. … They can craft very sophisticated, very customized phishing messages that makes you think that it’s real. It’s so customized that you can’t think that it’s not real.”

—Frederic Rivain, Chief Technology Officer, Dashlane, speaking on the AI In Business podcast

More on cyber risks:

• “Ransomware encryption down amid surge of attacks, Microsoft says” (CyberScoop)
• “Oil and Gas Firms Aware of Cyber Risks” (BankInfoSecurity.com)
• ICYMI: “Ransomware Attacks in Healthcare Are Increasing, Creating Longer Recovery” (Healthleaders)

Amazon is implementing new generative AI features that aim to make it easier for advertisers to participate in its retail media network. Among them: AI Creative Studio, Audio Generator and Video Generator, all self-service tools that can speed production of campaign creative material, Dan Berthiaume of Chain Store Age reports. The tools are meant to help advertisers “more easily reach their target audiences at every stage of the marketing funnel,” an Amazon executive wrote in a blog post. (See also: “The retail media network revolution 2.0,” from Quad Insights.)

More on self-serve AI:

• “Gatorade Takes Personalization to Next Level With Gen-AI Add-On” (Consumer Goods Technology)

At its annual Adobe Max conference this week, Adobe announced new AI-powered features coming to its Creative Cloud suite, The Verge’s Jess Weatherbed reports. Upgrades to Illustrator, InDesign and Premiere Pro are meant to increase efficiency on time-consuming design tasks, Weatherbed notes, adding that Photoshop seems set for the biggest changes with AI features including “automatic background distraction removal and a more powerful Firefly generative AI model.”

Previously: “Adobe releases new Firefly AI tools for Illustrator and Photoshop,” from the July 26 edition of The Week in Generative AI.

More AI tools & advancements:

• “Mistral releases new AI models optimized for laptops and phones” (TechCrunch)

More AI strategy:

• “Blumhouse Tests AI With Meta Partnership on Short Films” (The Hollywood Reporter)

Google just announced upgrades to its Shopping tab, which now leverages AI “to help users shop for products based on exactly what they’re looking for” and includes a scrollable, personalized feed of shoppable products, TechCrunch’s Aisha Malik reports. More specifically, the Shopping tab now displays a summary of results at the top of a page (similar to Google Search’s recently launched AI Overviews) and each product includes a description as to why it’s recommended for the user, Malik notes. 

Previously: “Google sunsets video ad program, further prioritizing AI campaigns,” from the Sep. 6 edition of The Week in Generative AI. 

As Apple, Google and others race to integrate AI features into devices, a new study from Stagwell’s National Research Group suggests that consumers have some concerns, MediaPost’s Richard Whitman reports. Per the study, consumers are most concerned that AI in mobile apps will create too much AI-generated content on social media (31%), make decisions without consent (30%) and make it harder to protect personal data and privacy (30%).

Previously:

• “New York Magazine’s John Herrman explores the disconnect between the tech-world view of generative AI and that of a common person,” from the Sep. 20 edition of The Week in Generative AI.
• “Brands should avoid the AI product label, study says,” from the Aug. 23 edition of The Week in Generative AI.