When artificial intelligence is asked about the most critical aspect of marketing, the answer is clear: understanding the customer is paramount. AI tools like ChatGPT and other systems emphasize the same thing. Yet, as AI and automation become increasingly embedded in marketing, they can ironically complicate the process of truly connecting with customers.
This challenge stems largely from the complexity of data. Great marketing begins with an understanding of consumers, and that understanding is built on data. Decades ago, data largely referred to simple demographics like age and income. Today, it encompasses far more, including behaviors, transactions, and deep demographic profiles.
The amount of data collected has grown exponentially. For every person in the U.S., more than 2,000 megabytes of data are stored—equivalent to millions of words, articles, or endless streams of content. But having access to vast data is not the same as effectively using it. Connecting with customers in a meaningful way requires not just data, but the technology, expertise, and systems to translate it into actionable insights.
Most advertisers, especially those outside of the largest agencies, face significant challenges in making the necessary investments in artificial intelligence and data analytics to maximize these insights. Meanwhile, platforms like Meta and Google, with their deep resources, have built their business models on controlling and optimizing data for their benefit. Their promise to marketers is enticing: "Invest your budget, and we’ll deliver the results." However, these results often come from opaque, AI-driven algorithms—the infamous “black box”—that make decisions without fully disclosing how they were reached.
While AI-driven platforms like Meta and Google can drive marketing success, excessive dependence on them can lead to a disconnect between brands and their customers. Marketing strategies risk becoming more about optimizing for platform-driven metrics and less about building meaningful, informed relationships with customers. This can turn marketing into a transactional process, where the focus is on short-term wins rather than long-term customer insights and business growth.
Additionally, algorithms from these platforms are designed to optimize for their own financial performance, not necessarily the brand’s. The deeper a business relies on these walled gardens, the harder it becomes to shift budgets, test new strategies, or react to shifts in consumer behavior. If core customer insights are locked within platform algorithms, it becomes risky to adapt and change with evolving market demands.
While AI platforms can be valuable, businesses can take steps to regain control and use these tools to their advantage, rather than being beholden to them. Several strategies can help shift the balance:
At ROR, we were built with one mission in mind: shifting the balance of power back to marketers by making data actionable. We help brands in the health, wellness, and active lifestyle industries harness their own data and supplement it with external insights to drive real business growth. Our data-driven strategies prioritize understanding your customer first—so that when it comes time to allocate media budgets, you’re doing it with precision and confidence.
With over 1 billion impressions delivered monthly and 100 million unique individuals reached, ROR has the expertise to help you leverage AI without losing sight of what matters most—your customers.
Like the bots said, marketing is all about understanding your customer, and ROR is here to make that easier.