Back in 2022, after the initial knee-jerk panic of ‘our industry is doomed,’ TWI chose to embrace artificial intelligence in the same way we approach everything: with a clear purpose.
That purpose has been to learn, test and develop strategies and tools that will add value to our client delivery and retain the quality, ethics and authenticity of our work. In line with our core values of ‘trust’ and ‘transparency’, we’ve been working with our clients to create bespoke AI processes, governance and tools to future-proof their communications and marketing ambitions
The dizzying pace of change in marketing needs investment. At TWI, 20% of our working week has always been dedicated to personal and professional development, and with this in mind, in 2022, we appointed our team of in-house ‘AI Champions’ to explore tools and strategies and learn from some of the leading marketing experts in AI. We also invested in Corporate Affiliate membership with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) to support our journey.
In this article, we’ll focus on AI’s role in personalisation and five key themes that we think will help you to level up in 2025.
Making it Personal: What We Learned
AI-powered personalisation will revolutionise marketing strategies in 2025, offering unprecedented opportunities for brands to connect with consumers on a deeper level (at last!). We can say goodbye to click-baited content and confusing customer experiences and embrace a digital experience that is real and personal.
1. Embrace Hyper-Personalised Experiences
AI enables marketers to create highly tailored experiences for individual consumers at scale. Research by McKinsey found that companies excelling at personalisation generate 40% more revenue from those activities compared with average players. You can leverage AI-powered tools to analyse vast amounts of customer data, identify ideal customer profiles, and deliver customised content, recommendations, and experiences across channels.
TIP: There are so many AI analysis tools out there – find one that works for you and use it well. Alongside ChatGPT we like Consensus AI and SEMrush Market Explorer.
We have also been having some fun with Crystal Knows – we’re in early testing mode but essentially this platform enables you to profile individuals by generating personality data. Give it a try.
2. Optimise for AI-Enhanced Search
Google’s search algorithm continues to evolve, with AI playing a central role. We wrote about this last year, but we loved the March 2024 Core Update, which incorporated the helpful content system into the core algorithm, emphasising high-quality, original content. If you’re relying on AI to auto-generate all your content (please don’t), Google will punish you. Funnily enough, we wrote an article about that too. You can read it here. To stay ahead:
- Focus on creating in-depth, authoritative content that addresses user intent
- Optimise for AI-generated search summaries and conversational queries
- Utilise structured data to help AI better understand your content
- Use AI to review your content and help you build out FAQs and user navigation
TIP: TWI’s partnership with AI-powered online conversions experts Leadoo resulted in a 546% increase in organic conversions for our client. Read the story.
3. Leverage Social Media Evolution
Social media platforms are rapidly evolving, with a shift towards short-form video content and direct messaging. To level up your social media marketing:
- Invest in creating engaging, platform-specific video content.
- Explore emerging platforms to reach new audiences. At TWI we’re trialling our Bluesky strategy – get in early to secure your first-choice username.
- Utilise AI-powered social listening tools to track trends and sentiment.
- Use AI to help you understand and develop your messaging stream and create personalised 24/7 responses and customer service.
4. Prioritise Ethical and Marketing
Consumers in 2025 are more environmentally and socially conscious than ever before. A study published by MIT Sloan Management Review reported that consumers are increasingly looking to companies to back up their statements on climate action. While there will be expectations about your ethical use of AI, you can also use tools to help you manage, monitor and report back to your stakeholders on your CSR activities.
Here’s what you can do:
- Implement and communicate sustainable practices in your business. You can use AI to simplify and present data to inform and reassure your audience.
- Be transparent about your AI usage and data practices.
- Embrace inclusive marketing strategies to reach diverse audiences. AI can help you to produce more regular research on consumer demographics, support multiple languages and automate accessibility.
TIP: AI is moving faster than we can learn so don’t try to eat the whole elephant at once. Create a robust AI roadmap for your organisation and individual teams to ensure governance and best practice. Integrate in-house training and senior leadership-led performance measurement and reviews.
5. Adopt Omnichannel Experiences
In 2025, the lines between online and offline shopping continue to blur. Consumers expect seamless experiences across all touchpoints. To meet these expectations:
- Implement an integrated omnichannel strategy. AI can be a powerful tool to refresh your strategy to add powerful initiatives into the mix, such as personalised direct mail.
- Use AI to create consistent, personalised experiences across channels.
- Offer flexible options like buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS) or buy now, pay later (BNPL). In 2025, almost half of Gen Z are expected to use BNPL (eMarketer), with Klarna reporting more than 18 million users in the UK.
TIP: Use AI to test micro-strategies across consumer groups. Does adding flexible payment options to your messaging drive conversions? Do personalised offers increase website traffic or footfall? Can user data help you mitigate abandoned carts?
Remember, the AI landscape is evolving rapidly. Stay curious, keep experimenting, and don’t be afraid to push the boundaries of what’s possible in marketing.
By embracing AI-powered personalisation, staying attuned to algorithm updates, and prioritising customer-centric strategies, you’ll be well-positioned to level up your marketing game and drive meaningful results for your brand in 2025.
Does your business need support in creating its AI roadmap? Take the first step and talk to us about our AI consultancy package which includes sessions on policy and governance, content creation, strategy and research.