Susie: Hi guys, and welcome to this episode of Pixels and Points! Today, I’ve got with me, as always, Matt, our digital director. 

Matt: Thanks, Susie! And again, I’m with Susie, the media buyer extraordinaire here at Redroc. Today, we’ve got an exciting topic. 

Susie: I think everyone is talking about it—it’s AI and all things AI, and how we can apply everything to media buying, planning, and all that good stuff. 

Matt: We’ve got a couple of articles to look at today. One is about AI and the internet, specifically related to search, and the other covers how AI affects media buying in our industry. 

Susie: Let’s jump into the first one. AI is everywhere and isn’t going away anytime soon. Recently, OpenAI started making its search capabilities available to subscribers. 

Matt: Right! The article we’re looking at highlights the author’s experience with this new search feature. It’s not a Google killer yet, but it’s an interesting step forward. 

Susie: Totally. It raises questions about how advertising fits into this new search landscape. Will ads be integrated into AI-driven search results? Where does transparency come in? 

Matt: Exactly. The article also compares ChatGPT’s search capabilities to traditional search engines like Google. For example, while ChatGPT can generate detailed answers, it’s not always as precise or quick as Google, especially with live data like sports scores. 

Susie: That’s a key difference. ChatGPT provides citations and sources, which is helpful, but it’s not yet as seamless as Google for things like quick, real-time answers. 

Matt: This could significantly impact how advertisers approach search marketing. If AI-driven search engines prioritize direct answers over traditional ads, it could force brands to rethink their strategies. 

Susie: Agreed. It’s a fascinating shift, and we’ll have to see how it evolves in the coming year. 

Susie: Our next topic is how AI applies to media strategies. I found an article discussing seven opportunities for AI in media planning and buying. 

Matt: One of the first things they mention is using AI to summarize campaign briefs. This could help streamline the process by organizing goals, audience insights, and market research into a structured format. 

Susie: Exactly. AI can analyze different sources of information and condense them into one voice, which is super helpful for maintaining consistency across teams. 

Matt: That’s crucial. I’ve seen campaigns where the messaging changes drastically between strategy, creative, and media plans. AI could ensure everything aligns. 

Susie: Another opportunity they mention is using AI to create media strategies. By analyzing past performance data, AI can help identify the most effective channels, timing, and content for campaigns. 

Matt: We’re already seeing this with platforms like Google and Facebook, which use machine learning to recommend optimizations. While it’s still in the early stages, these tools will only get better. 

Susie: True. But it’s also important to have a human touch. AI is great for suggestions, but you need human oversight to ensure the recommendations align with your goals. 

Matt: Another area where AI can help is sourcing media placements. It can analyze audience behavior and past performance to identify the best publishers, platforms, and channels. 

Susie: Right, and it’s about making the process more efficient. AI can parse through data to pinpoint the best opportunities, saving hours of manual work. 

Matt: Exactly. I remember spending hours building media plans manually. AI can do that in seconds, allowing us to focus on strategy and creativity. 

Susie: Another opportunity is optimizing pricing and bidding. With real-time data and machine learning, AI can ensure we’re getting the best value for impressions and ad placements. 

Matt: Platforms like Google and Facebook already offer bid optimization, but there’s still room for improvement. AI will get better at tailoring these optimizations to specific campaign goals. 

Susie: The next opportunity is automating ad operations. AI can handle tasks like trafficking, A/B testing, and tracking, reducing human error and saving time. 

Matt: Absolutely. This is where a lot of time gets consumed, especially in agencies. Automating these processes allows teams to focus on higher-level work. 

Susie: The ultimate goal, is fully automating optimizations and reconciliations. While we’re not there yet, AI could eventually handle everything from bid adjustments to billing. 

Matt: That would be a game-changer. But even then, you’d still need human oversight to ensure everything is running smoothly. 

Susie: Definitely. AI is a tool to assist us, not replace us. It’s about finding the right balance between automation and human input. 

Matt: To wrap things up, the key takeaways from all this are:

• • Stay informed about AI technologies and how they can be applied. 
  • Clean up your data to ensure it’s ready for AI-driven tools.
  • Use AI to complement your work, not replace it.
    

Susie: Well said. AI is here to stay, and it’s up to us to use it wisely. 

Matt: Thanks for joining us on this episode of Pixels and Points!