SAS Institute: Address marketing change with AI

Analytics software provider SAS Institute Inc. works with its customer base to navigate a new marketing world where the rise of generative artificial intelligence has sparked a whirlwind of change, but some elements remain untouched doing.

“I would describe this as a tornado of change, but the same things remain the same,” said Mike Blanchard (pictured, left), vice president of customer intelligence at SAS. “Consumers have many choices about who they transact with and will use their own judgment to transact. The world is becoming more and more complex, so at the end of the day, creating a loyalty share for your wallet What matters most is trust between consumers and brands, and data is its underlying lifeblood.”

Blanchard spoke with John Furrier and Dave Vellante of SAS Innovate's theCUBE Research during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media's livestreaming studio. He was joined by Regan Yan (right), CEO of Digital Alchemy Ltd., to discuss AI and other important trends impacting the world of digital marketing. (*Disclosure below.)

SAS Institute's Mike Blanchard and Digital Alchemy's Regan Yang speak with theCUBE about marketing with generative AI at SAS Innovate 2024.

SAS Institute helps clients address data collection changes

In partnership with Digital Alchemy, SAS has been working with clients to better understand how generative AI is changing the way companies reach consumers in advertising campaigns.

“Generative AI will revolutionize the way we query and understand data,” Yang said. “This expands the scope of the data and allows marketers to use it to generate campaigns.”

One important change in the way data is collected and managed involves the elimination of third-party cookies or files that are installed on users' computers to collect information about their browsing habits. Brands rely on third-party data to deliver personalized ad campaigns, but as major digital ad platforms such as Google LLC begin to phase out third-party cookies, brands themselves are increasingly collecting First-party data will become more important. Blanchard sees this as a positive for many companies.

“What we're seeing now is some brands are reacting to this and saying, 'We can monetize our first-party data,'” Blanchard said. “They will be able to build better products, better service, and better communication. Companies that understand their customers better will win.”

For Digital Alchemy's Yang, the challenge for brands is to leverage data to drive results while respecting consumer preferences for how information is collected and used.

“I actually think organizations need to move from thinking that they own the data to thinking that they are the custodians,” Yang said. “Customers own their own data. I think organizations are moving more and more in that direction.”

Regardless of how data is collected, there is no doubt that the rise of AI is disrupting the world of marketing.

“Yesterday, I heard something great about how marketers are worried about AI taking their jobs,” Yang recalled. “He won't lose that job to AI, but he could lose it to a marketer who understands AI.”

Here is the full video interview, part of SiliconANGLE and theCUBE Research's coverage of SAS Innovate:

(*Disclosure: SAS Institute Inc. sponsors this segment on theCUBE. Neither SAS nor any other sponsor has editorial control over the content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE