Generative AI (GAI) is changing the landscape for marketers, speeding up your time to market and improving your outcomes. Conversational AI marketing and advertising isn’t about experimentation anymore; it’s all about execution. AI is now an essential tool in search, advertising, and customer engagement—and that’s great news for organizations and their marketing teams.
Here’s a preview of three key GAI trends changing the game for marketers—and how you can take advantage of them today.
1. An accelerated customer journey means new opportunities to connect and close sales faster
GAI is fundamentally reshaping how consumers interact with brands. The days of the classic discover–consider–evaluate–purchase funnel is fading, and traditional linear customer journeys are, too. For marketers who have strategies built solely around that model, it’s time for a change.
Customers are eager to adopt new technologies; for example, Statista estimates that more than 90 million people are expected to use AI as their primary form of search by 2027.
And as AI-driven tools like chatbots and conversational AI search offer personalized recommendations, they’re changing how customers engage with brands. Customers are now reacting in nonlinear and unpredictable ways, often skipping steps or making instant purchasing decisions. For example, Microsoft research has found that purchasing behaviors increased by 53% within 30 minutes of a Copilot interaction.1
So what can you do today to make the most of the new customer journey?2
- Optimize your content for AI-curated experiences by ensuring your ads, messaging, and web content align with intent-driven search to get the highest ROI on past and future content.
- Use AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants to provide instant, contextual responses to customer inquiries speeding up the sales process.
2. Relevance improves performance, so it’s time for hyper-personalization
Personalization is evolving from general experiences based on demographics to highly individual interactions based on unique search intent, preferences, and context. And GAI-powered solutions can help brands deliver hyper-personalized experiences at scale, leading to significantly higher engagement and conversions.
Internal Microsoft Copilot data shows that Multimedia Ads perform 2.3 times better in Performance Max campaigns compared to regular search campaigns. And results are 2.8 times better when combining Performance Max with a Copilot customer journey compared to journeys without Copilot.2
From email marketing to website interactions to in-store shopping experiences, GAI is driving more relevant interactions. You’re no longer limited to relying on simple keywords in search and advertising, for example. Instead, AI can analyze content and infer a user’s intent through a full conversation. With those insights, it’s possible to serve up search results and ads that connect to exactly what someone is looking for in the moment. Similarly, predictive analytics allow you to anticipate customer needs and showcase content, offers, and experiences that resonate at the right time.
Think of it this way: Real-time, context-aware AI interactions define today’s customer engagement and retention. Whether it’s tailored product recommendations, dynamically generated ad variations, or AI-optimized email subject lines, hyper-personalization is something customers expect and is key to connecting with them in a crowded landscape.
Embrace GAI to:
- Test AI-powered ad features that can help optimize campaign performance with greater personalization, targeting, and budget management.
- Explore how writing features like Copilot’s “Try a new tone” add creative capabilities to your marketing team’s skillset.
3. GAI’s expanding role in content creation for marketers and customers
GAI is transforming how marketing teams create content and turning consumers into co-creators. According to the American Marketing Association, the top uses of GAI are content creation and writing—and among the benefits cited, 52% of marketers say GAI has improved content quality and performance.
AI-powered creative tools assist with ad copy, visuals, and messaging refinement, allowing for faster iteration and hyper-personalization. GAI also makes it easier to engage specific audiences with relevant messaging; for example, you might ask AI to create different visual ad variations that appeal more to Gen Z, millennials, or baby boomers.
But the power of GAI isn’t just for businesses. Consumers are using AI to generate content that influences their purchasing decisions. Whether it’s using AI to research products, create comparison charts, or generate AI-assisted images for social media, brands can turn these moments into opportunities for deeper connection.
Here are some GAI content-focused strategies to consider:
- Use GAI to generate high-quality, optimized content at scale, from blog posts to ad copy to social media visuals. Encourage different members of your marketing team to explore what’s possible.
- Balance AI automation with human oversight to maintain your brand’s voice and authenticity.
- Experiment with AI-powered creative tools to quickly test and iterate messaging based on audience feedback and engagement metrics.
Embrace AI today to lead the market tomorrow
GAI and conversational search are reshaping digital marketing and advertising. For marketers, content creation at scale is more achievable than ever before. Hyper-personalization is becoming a competitive necessity, with AI-powered tools enhancing customer engagement and ad targeting. And as AI-generated content becomes more sophisticated, marketers must find the right balance between automation and human oversight to stay true to brand voice and values.
These trends are just the beginning, but they highlight key areas where you can act now. Want to stay ahead of the curve? Download our latest guide, A marketer’s guide to chatbots and agents: from generative AI to ROI, to learn more about the latest AI-driven marketing strategies shaping 2025 and beyond.
