As AI increasingly powers everything from holiday ads to product recommendations, retailers face a critical balancing act between efficiency and authenticity. "The question isn't if retailers will use AI, it's how they'll keep using it and maintain the human touch along the way," said host Suzy Davidkhanian on a recent episode of “Behind the Numbers.”

Unilever, Publicis emphasize AI: The companies are incorporating AI technology into their marketing efforts while maintaining a cautious approach that’s paying off.

Unilever’s 30 largest brands grew 5.3% YoY in Q4: That significantly outpaced the company’s overall 4% growth rate, which was just shy of analysts’ expectations.

The collaboration aims to stop harmful posts from spreading across platforms and protect against legal risks.

Shoppers are beginning to trade back up to premium CPG brands: While volume growth is recovering at Unilever and Kimberly-Clark, pressure on lower-income consumers is hurting Nestlé and PepsiCo.

It takes time to learn a new technology and sometimes, along the way, stumbles happen. As the role of AI in marketing grows, brands must be transparent about how, where, and when they are using the technology. Nearly half (49%) of CMOs in North America plan to focus more on using AI in strategy, creative, and content development for media use over the next 12 months, according to an August 2023 Dentsu survey conducted by B2B International. Here are three missteps brands have made with AI and content creation and what brands can learn from them.

In the US, digital retail media and the ecommerce channel are growing faster than any other major ad format except connected TV. This report analyzes our latest retail media forecast and examines the role market uncertainty could play in this space.

Brands in Latin America are striving to be more inclusive, especially of groups who have been historically underrepresented, excluded, and stereotypically portrayed in advertising.

Though many companies struggle with diversity and inclusion in their advertising, some are making strides.

Consumers in the US are planning to spend roughly $196 on Valentine’s Day this year, an increase of 21% over 2019, according to research from the National Retail Federation (NRF).

Amazon might not be the first retailer that comes to mind for health, personal care and beauty products, but it's the third-fastest-growing category by our estimates. We forecast that Amazon's US sales of those products will reach $16 billion this year, a 37.9% increase over 2017.