Is artificial intelligence changing marine marketing?
Artificial intelligence (AI), namely generative AI, is redefining the landscape for marketers, communicators and media. Whether it’s transforming traditional search engine optimisation (SEO) or it’s creating new ways to understand and connect with customers, AI is changing marine marketing.
AI is already impacting how customers consume information and how companies share information and the industry needs to be ready to harness and adapt to the technology.
Ellen Bradley, chief brand officer of National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) in the US, has been witnessing firsthand how new AI technology is changing the marine marketing landscape.
“In driving advocacy on behalf of our members and in helping connect the greater industry with boaters and future boaters through Discover Boating, NMMA is constantly exploring, testing and optimising how to most effectively share our industry’s story.
Artificial intelligence in marketing
When it comes to building relationships and connections with customers and future customers, Bradley says embracing AI is no longer an option but a necessity for businesses seeking to thrive in a competitive landscape.
And it’s not just marketers who should be thinking about it but entire organisations, across the C-suite.
“It’s common to hear leaders in technology and business citing the statement by Dr. Andrew Ng, a professor at Stanford University who also founded the Google Deep Brain Learning Project, back in 2017, when he compared AI not to a new technology platform per se, but to electricity and the tremendous change it brought to society,” says Bradley [pictured left].
“Today, AI-powered tools and the promise of what’s to come with AI, is transforming how we communicate, connect, work, and play. In business, and particularly marketing, it has enabled companies to tailor their strategies to individual consumers on a massive scale, opening doors to engage customers in more meaningful ways than ever before.
“In marketing, one of the areas we’re seeing dramatic shifts is in SEO — something that’s core to how a business is discovered within search engines like Google and Bing. Traditionally, SEO focused on keyword optimisation and backlink building.”
Artificial intelligence for SEO
Bradley says AI is changing the SEO landscape, putting more emphasis on user experience and intent. Search engines like Google have been utilising AI algorithms for years to rank and display web pages based on their relevance and quality. These AI-powered algorithms are now more adept at understanding and interpreting search queries — getting to know the user searching for the content or information, leading to a more semantic and contextual approach to search.
As a result, a significant transformation brought by AI is what feels like a return to a prioritised focus on content relevance and quality.
“With AI, the importance of keyword-centric optimisation has diminished,” explains Bradley. “This shift has made SEO more about delivering value through content and engaging users. For anyone who’s a creative, communicator or storyteller, this is likely music to your ears and is a reminder of the important role that remains for human-powered creativity and storytelling.”
At the same time, Bradley says marketers now have generative AI tools at their disposal to help create content and do so in a way that helps them personalise it so they’re providing customers with greater value. “These tools can help marketers produce high-quality, relevant content more efficiently, enhancing SEO performance. Again, human creativity remains crucial in this process,” she adds.
“AI-driven tools have also further enhanced technical SEO processes. Machine learning algorithms can perform website audits, organise content and optimise performance at an unprecedented pace. They can analyse vast amounts of data, identify opportunities for improvement, and predict trends, enabling marketers to make data-driven decisions that enhance their SEO and content strategies, so content is more impactful to more people.
How will artificial intelligence impact the maritime industry and marketing teams?
“One of the most significant advantages AI offers is its ability to analyse large amounts of data not only quickly, but accurately. In marketing, where customer data is abundant but often underutilised given the immense amount of time it can take to analyse, AI can be a gamechanger.
“By employing machine learning algorithms, businesses can segment their customers based on preferences, behaviours and patterns. This targeted approach allows for hyper-personalised marketing campaigns that resonate with each individual customer, ultimately driving higher conversion rates and customer loyalty. And while these tools may not be commonplace for many small businesses just yet, they will be. Learning and understanding how they work now will help companies ensure they’re not
left behind.”
Using AI in marine marketing enables users to leverage data from various sources, such as social media networks, search engines, and user browsing behaviour on a website, to provide personalised product recommendations.
“By analysing a customer’s purchase history, browsing activities on your site, and preferences, AI algorithms can predict their future needs and suggest relevant products or services. This level of personalisation can improve your customers’ experience and therefore sales/engagement, in addition to increasing opportunities for cross-selling and upselling by making it easier to share relevant information and products with your customers,” says Bradley.
Whether it’s SEO, content creation, personalisation, customer engagement, data management and insights, or other areas of business, the speed at which AI technologies are advancing is remarkable.
Bradley notes that culture within companies remains critical. “Those companies that embrace their teams’ exploration and provide an environment filled with psychological safety where it’s okay to ask questions, share ideas and make mistakes without fear of negative consequences, will be the ones that naturally adapt.
“While AI is bringing a lot of exciting new ways of doing business, it’s also bringing a great amount of uncertainty and for some, fear. Because of how fast moving it is, and because there remains a lot yet to understand, before companies dive into AI it’s important to approach it with thought and intent, particularly when it comes to the myriad ethical questions that AI creates.
“Whether its data integrity, transparency on sourcing content, navigating the bias and discrimination that can come from AI, deep fakes and other misinformation, or the privacy and security risks of AI, before adapting it across a business, it’s critical to ensure there are clear guardrails and ethical guidelines in place to protect employees, customers and business.
“Like many businesses and trade associations, we know that everything we do, and the impact we can have, is rooted in our relationships — the ones we have, the ones we’re building, and the ones that happen because of the great work we do on behalf of our existing customers and partners.
“It’s this focus on relationships that has us looking at the impact AI is having, and may have, on how we continue to both cultivate and nurture relationships in a meaningful way. We know a lot of companies are grappling with the same and as an industry trade association, sharing what we’re learning is an important part of our AI journey.”
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