Rethinking Paid Media: What AI Means for Marketers in 2025 | AiNews.com

Summary

In this insightful conversation with Alicia Shapiro from AiNews, Ben Kruger, CMO at Event Tickets Center, discusses the evolving role of AI in digital marketing. He shares his expertise on paid media in 2025, emphasizing the importance of performance marketing, AI-powered tools like Meta's Advantage Plus, and predictive AI in shaping marketing strategies. Ben highlights the shift from click-based to conversion-focused marketing, the challenges of balancing automation with a human touch, and the value of continuous testing and iteration in AI-driven campaigns. A must-watch for marketers navigating the AI landscape.

Takeaways

• 😀 Paid media remains highly valuable in 2025, especially when approached as a performance-driven, data-informed investment.
• 😀 AI and machine learning have shifted marketing from paying for clicks to optimizing for conversions and ROI.
• 😀 The primary KPI for paid campaigns should be return on ad spend (ROAS); secondary metrics like click-through rates are less critical.
• 😀 AI-powered tools like Meta Advantage Plus and Google Performance Max can scale creative output and optimize performance, but human oversight is essential.
• 😀 Incrementality matters: marketers should measure whether ads generate additional sales or merely target users who would have bought anyway.
• 😀 Geo-testing and deduplicating data across platforms are effective strategies to measure the true impact of marketing campaigns.
• 😀 Iterative testing is crucial; marketers should embrace experimentation, learn from both successes and failures, and ensure accurate setup for meaningful insights.
• 😀 Balancing automation with a human touch maintains authenticity, accuracy, and customer trust in marketing content.
• 😀 Leaders should encourage AI adoption across teams, providing use cases and fostering hands-on experimentation to maximize efficiency and impact.
• 😀 Fear of AI replacing jobs is misplaced; individuals who leverage AI effectively will enhance productivity and remain competitive.
• 😀 Understanding unit economics and finance behind marketing investments is key to optimizing campaign performance.
• 😀 AI adoption can unlock significant efficiency and scale, but it requires careful review and curation to prevent errors or off-putting content.

Q & A

Is paid media still worth investing in 2025?

Yes, paid media remains highly valuable, especially in performance marketing. Success depends on understanding unit economics and ROI rather than just brand awareness. Paid media allows marketers to track and optimize returns on ad spend effectively.

How has AI changed the marketing funnel over the years?

AI has shifted focus from top-of-funnel click-based metrics to bottom-of-funnel conversion optimization. Platforms like Google and Meta now use machine learning to automatically bid for ads based on the desired return, allowing marketers to prioritize profitability over arbitrary click costs.

What KPIs matter most in an AI-driven marketing campaign?

The primary KPI is the return on ad spend (ROAS) or the overall profitability of campaigns. Secondary metrics like click-through rates and hold rates are less important for evaluating overall campaign success.

How can marketers ensure efficient ad spending when using AI platforms?

Marketers should monitor campaigns to prevent overspending and test incrementality, such as using geo-targeting to measure whether ads drive incremental sales versus capturing customers who would have purchased anyway.

Do AI-optimized ads perform better than human-managed campaigns?

Yes, in many cases AI-optimized campaigns, like Meta Advantage Plus and Google Performance Max, can outperform human-managed campaigns due to their ability to scale creative content and optimize placements. However, initial performance may vary, and human oversight is still essential.

What is the best approach to experimentation with AI-driven campaigns?

An iterative testing approach works best. Marketers should carefully set up tests, monitor results, and learn from both successful and failed experiments. Continuous testing helps stay ahead in competitive markets.

How should marketers balance AI automation with human touch?

AI should be used for efficiency and scale, but human review is crucial for accuracy, authenticity, and brand voice. Maintaining a human touch helps avoid errors and keeps content engaging and credible.

What advice does Ben give for leaders to encourage AI adoption among teams?

Leaders should lead by example, provide practical use cases, and encourage experimentation. Demonstrating AI’s value through small, impactful wins can help teams embrace its potential.

How should marketers address concerns about AI replacing jobs?

AI is a tool for augmentation rather than replacement. Employees who leverage AI become more productive and scalable. The focus should be on using AI to enhance efficiency and capability.

What practical first steps does Ben suggest for marketers or business owners new to AI?

Start with a tangible, personal use case that demonstrates AI's potential. Once the value is evident, explore additional opportunities to apply AI for efficiency, creativity, and decision-making in marketing.

How does Ben suggest marketers justify increased ad budgets for AI-driven campaigns?

Marketers should demonstrate the incremental impact of ads through testing, such as comparing sales across different geographies or markets, to show that the ads are driving additional revenue rather than just capturing existing demand.

What role does creative volume play in AI-optimized campaigns?

Creative volume is crucial for scaling campaigns. AI can generate thousands of content variations from existing assets, which helps maintain performance and reach at a scale that would be impractical for human teams alone.