Marketing & Chatbots

What does conversational AI mean for marketing?

What does the changing relationship between humans and conversational AI mean for marketing?

As my research into chatbots and user psychology developed, one question kept returning: how can this knowledge help marketing functions within a business?

AI adoption has progressed more readily in some business functions than others. In areas such as IT and software development, applications and potential productivity gains can be relatively straightforward to identify. Within marketing, the case can be more complex.

At the same time, consumers are increasingly turning to conversational AI for information about products, services and purchasing decisions. Yet interacting with a chatbot is psychologically different from searching through a conventional web browser. Issues such as trust, attachment, anthropomorphism and perceived independence may influence how people interpret the information they receive – including information about brands.

What does this mean for your marketing strategy?

My research explores this emerging intersection between conversational AI, consumer psychology and marketing, and how it may help businesses think about:

• AI adoption strategy – identifying where conversational AI can meaningfully support marketing rather than adopting AI for its own sake.
• Customer-facing chatbots – considering the psychological as well as functional implications of branded conversational experiences.
• Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) – understanding how your brand appears within relevant AI and chatbot conversations.
• Advertising within conversational AI – considering how emerging chatbot advertising models could affect brands and consumer trust.
• Brand positioning and ethics – examining whether your brand’s values and policies adequately address the growing role of conversational AI.
• Internal adoption and staff buy-in – understanding the human psychology surrounding AI implementation within marketing teams.

I’m an independent consultant working at the intersection of conversational AI, consumer behaviour and marketing. If your organisation is considering how these changes could affect its customers, brand or marketing strategy, please get in touch to explore working together.