SurveyMonkey reveals that AI risks alienating audiences without authenticity, personalization, and trust. Balance tech with human connection for marketing success.
AI is reshaping marketing, empowering teams to do more with less. From generating content to uncovering insights, AI has become a powerful force in today’s fast-paced, data-driven environment. Yet, as the technology rapidly integrates into marketing strategies, there’s a risk of over-reliance that could unintentionally alienate your audience.
The reason? AI, for all its efficiency and scale, lacks the human elements that truly resonate with consumers—empathy, creativity, authenticity, and the power of storytelling. These qualities build trust, spark emotional connections, and drive brand loyalty. To maximize marketing impact, new SurveyMonkey research reveals it’s essential to balance leveraging AI’s capabilities and preserving that irreplaceable human touch.
While AI can be a marketer’s best friend, there are key areas where human insight remains indispensable:
Authenticity: real stories, real connections.
Consumers crave authenticity, but AI-generated content often falls short. Many marketers (30%) and consumers (45%) feel AI-generated content lacks authenticity—a non-negotiable for today’s savvy consumers. Recent examples, like the backlash to Coca-Cola’s AI-generated ad, show that people crave genuine storytelling, not soulless or derivative content.
Remember, your customers are people, not algorithms. Consider how much more authentic a customer testimonial feels in casual conversation or how much you value an employee’s firsthand perspective on creating a product you might want to buy. These authentic stories forge deeper connections by showcasing the human side of a brand—something AI-generated content simply can’t replicate.
Also Read: How Predictive Analytics and GenAI Drive Hyper-Personalized CX
Personalization: quality over quantity.
We’ve all grown jaded when we see a marketing email that greets us with our first name, followed by a canned pitch. Lack of personalization (27%) is a top challenge for marketers using AI, and 38% of consumers agree. What was once a differentiator has become ubiquitous, leading to an overload of automated interactions that can feel impersonal or invasive.
The answer isn’t necessarily more personalization but better personalization. Marketers must prioritize the quality and relevance of personalized messages, ensuring they remain true to the brand’s voice and values. It’s about moving beyond superficial customization to create meaningful, impactful experiences that resonate with consumers on a deeper level.
Unilever is a perfect example of a brand using AI to enhance personalization. With AI-powered tools, Unilever can rapidly test and optimize marketing messages, halving production costs and doubling campaign speed. This allows them to get consumers more meaningful, personalized content faster without sacrificing quality.
How can marketers achieve better personalization? AI offers powerful tools. It segments audiences precisely and quickly, analyzing massive datasets to identify nuanced segments for targeted, resonant messaging. Furthermore, AI speeds up testing and refinement. AI-powered tools automate A/B testing of messaging, offers, and communication timing, quickly revealing what works best for each audience. This allows marketers to continuously optimize campaigns and keep pace with changing customer behavior.
Also Raed: Navigating the AI Revolution: A Retailer’s Guide
Transparency and trust: building credibility in an AI-driven world.
Transparency has always been vital; with AI making consumers more skeptical of marketing, it’s even more crucial. Nearly half (46%) of consumers report a more negative view of companies that use AI-generated content, and 43% are less likely to do business with such brands. Conversely, only 12% feel more positively toward companies that use AI in marketing. This stark contrast highlights the importance of transparency in AI use.
The recent push from major players like Apple and Google for better transparency in how AI is used across their platforms demonstrates a shift toward consumer trust-building. Apple, for example, introduced “privacy nutrition labels” on apps, allowing consumers to see exactly what data is being used and how AI influences their digital experience. Marketers must be upfront about leveraging AI and how consumer data is being used within that ecosystem. This means disclosing AI’s involvement in marketing or customer service interactions. It also means offering consumers control over their data, such as opt-out options or access requests. Clear communication builds trust and empowers consumers to make informed decisions.
Also Read: AI Transparency: The Next Competitive Advantage
The power of human connection.
While AI can supercharge efficiency and enhance productivity, the human touch truly differentiates great marketing. People buy from brands they trust, relate to, and feel connected with—and humans, not machines, build these emotional connections.
One example is the backlash to the AI-generated Coca-Cola ad mentioned earlier. Despite the ad’s slickness and personalization capabilities, consumers could sense the lack of human authenticity behind the messaging. Brands that get it right—like Patagonia, which continues to use storytelling and social responsibility as a key part of their campaigns—show how essential human connection is to building a loyal following.
Of course, it’s unrealistic to expect marketers to get this balance right every time; it’s a spectrum, and preferences will always vary. The goal is to continually learn from consumer insights to understand how attitudes toward AI evolve. By strategically using AI for operational efficiency while leaning on human creativity and emotional intelligence for impactful storytelling, marketers can create memorable experiences that resonate personally.
It’s about mastering the right combination of tools to ensure that AI and humanity work in harmony. No matter how advanced AI becomes, it will never replace the power of human connection.
