Brands have gone AI crazy over the past year, as they increasingly embrace the growing number of tools available to ease mundane tasks throughout the creative process and create new types of work .
While consumers still feel at odds with brands’ use of technology, some marketing departments have made savings by leveraging generative AI in particular.
In May, Klarna said so reduces sales and marketing costs by 12% per year, and that AI represented 37%, or $10 million, of its annual savings. Similarly, snack giant Mondelez said in June that it invested $100 million in AI in the bet that it could reduce its non-functional media spending by between 10% and 20%, or $30 million to $40 million.
But brands’ use of AI hasn’t been entirely positive. Klarna’s investment comes at the expense of future job cuts, and brands like Coca-Cola and Toys ‘R Us have faced anger from creatives and consumers who worry the rise of AI means for their work.
ADWEEK rounded up five brands that relied on AI marketing this year and the lessons they learned along the way.
1. Klarna
AI’s big moment
The Swedish buy now, pay later company launched 30 campaigns this year around events like Mother’s Day, Black Friday and back to school, entirely generated by AI.
AI came up with ideas, wrote the copy, and created images to produce ads at a volume not possible without it. Without AI, the work would have taken a long time or required external production and translation agencies to tailor the ads for multiple markets.
Klarna has also partnered with AI platform Eleven Labs to use voiceovers for its global campaigns.
“We’ve removed many cumbersome, costly and mundane marketing tasks,” said David Sandstorm, chief marketing officer (CMO). told ADWEEK in October. “Historically, you had to pay an agency or an artist to bring these ideas to life. We saved millions on this ideation process alone.
