Tag: Artificial Intelligence

United Kingdom – Airline Virgin Atlantic has tapped enterprise customer data platform Amperity to aid in the airline’s unification, management, and activation of its digital and transactional customer data in order to deliver personalised customer experiences and drive revenue growth.

Virgin Atlantic looks after a vast amount of customer data generated from digital touchpoints and offline transactions throughout the customer journey. As part of its ongoing data transformation, the travel company will use the CDP to create a personalised ecosystem and improve the digital experience.

Amperity’s platform uses patented machine learning algorithms to deliver industry-leading identity resolution, audience segmentation, and predictive analytics which allows Virgin Atlantic to create the most relevant content and communications for each customer. 

Tom Barber, head of data at Virgin Atlantic, said, “When it comes to innovating for our customers, Virgin Atlantic never stands still. We’re building a digital core at the heart of our business so that our customers benefit from a seamless shop, book and service experience for our flights and holidays, with an innate understanding of their preferences across the end-to-end journey.”

He added, “We’re excited to adopt Amperity to help us get to know our customers better than ever, supporting personalised and meaningful content and experiences at every touchpoint, with the advantage of consistent and secure first-party data and customer segmentation.”

Meanwhile, Barry Padgett, CEO at Amperity, commented, “Today, customer data is at the heart of any ambitious organisation, especially one that aspires to make every interaction feel more like it is a one-to-one experience versus a one-to-many approach. By tapping into Amperity, the platform for customer data, Virgin Atlantic will be able to take advantage of patented identity resolution, with strict governance and activation capabilities that will make experiences even more connected and relevant.”

Sydney, Australia – Sitecore, a comprehensive digital experience software platform, has acknowledged its ongoing commitment to incorporating AI capabilities into its range of content and commerce solutions. This statement was announced in Sydney during the Sitecore DX (digital experience) Sydney 2023 conference. The business has already incorporated AI capabilities into its personalization and content cloud software.

A personalisation platform from Sitecore enables brands to gain insights from customers’ prior website interactions and has introduced an AI-driven Content Cloud for businesses.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT has already been fully integrated into the company’s suite of fully modular software solutions. By enabling marketers to integrate Generative AI capabilities into their Sitecore-driven marketing technology stack, this new feature, powered by Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, improves efficiency, personalization, and scalable content production across Sitecore’s broad range of modular solutions.

Marketers can adapt their solutions by integrating their AI tools through open APIs (application programming interfaces) and customizable user interfaces (UIs) using Sitecore’s fully-modular approach. Examples from the real world include integrating ChatGPT into the Sitecore XM Cloud CMS (content management system) for quick translations and using ChatGPT to edit marketing content in the content hub to better tailor it to target audiences and distribution channels.

Additionally, Sitecore customers can use Dall-E to create various image variations for omnichannel campaigns managed by Sitecore’s Content Cloud.

Steve Tzikakis, CEO of Sitecore, said, “The future of marketing technology and brand experience will be AI-fuelled due to the sheer power of machine learning tools. However, businesses will need to move away from legacy software stacks, and infuse AI systems into composable software approaches that enable true flexibility and the ability to provide their customers with personalised and rich experiences.”

In a recent survey of 400 marketers in the US, Sitecore identified generative AI as a beneficial innovation that brand marketers must implement if they want to offer quick personalization to customers looking for immersive and intuitive digital experiences.

Tzikakis also commented, “Our Generative AI offering has been created to integrate with our composable strategy. Generative AI developments are moving incredibly fast. In fact, while 77% of US marketers feel their technology can handle AI demands, 45% are concerned by the significant costs they perceive will be required to maintain growth.” 

He added, “Sitecore’s composable platform helps combat this fear by giving Sitecore customers the ability to leverage our unique, composable offering, which allows brands to control when and how much spend they can invest depending on customer needs.”

Jakarta, Indonesia – A significant channel partnership has been announced by TenMax, an AI Martech company with its headquarters in Taiwan, and Infobip, a global cloud communications platform.

Through this partnership, marketing automation and digital transformation solutions will be made available to the Indonesian market.

TenMax was chosen by Infobip as a partner due to their experienced local engineering team and a track record of working with clients like Gojek. Gojek’s Gojek Ads Network (GoGAN), a comprehensive digital advertising solution, was supported by TenMax’s AI engineering.

TenMax Indonesia (TMI), a Jakarta-based subsidiary of TenMax, will offer its clients in Indonesia the full range of omnichannel messaging channels, tools, and solutions for customer engagement offered by Infobip. TMI will also provide customised implementation and service support on a local level.

With a focus on the unique requirements of its preeminent small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs), Indonesia is a crucial market for Infobip. SMEs accounted for 97% of domestic employment in 2020 and nearly 56% of Indonesia’s business investment.

Furthermore, Indonesia is a developing, tech-savvy market distinguished by a young population. The digital native Gen Z in Indonesia, which makes up 52% of its 270 million people, spends 8.5 hours per day on their smartphones, 2 hours longer than the APAC average.

Jeremy Lin, general manager of TMI, said, “Infobip’s solutions help lower the barriers to marketing automation, which we believe is crucial to addressing the customer retention challenges faced by Indonesian SMEs.” 

He added, “They often have extensive customer lists but struggle to retain customers due to a lack of access to the right tools. Infobip is the perfect match for the Indonesia market, and we are thrilled to partner together.”

Meanwhile, George Ni, regional director of partnerships and alliances, APAC at Infobip, expressed, “We are delighted about our partnership with TMI and the opportunities it presents for Indonesian businesses. TMI’s deep understanding of the local market combined with Infobip’s powerful solutions will provide businesses with the essential tools needed to enhance customer experiences.” 

Ni added, “Together, we are well-positioned to make a positive difference that builds strong customer relationships in Indonesia.” 

Singapore – Consumers in Singapore are wary of the fast adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) by businesses, with 87% of local consumers saying they want to know whether they are communicating with an AI or human for customer service. This was according to the latest data from Salesforce.

According to the data, around 79% of the respondents are concerned about companies using AI unethically. However, it is also worth noting that around 66% of customers in Singapore say advances in AI make it more important that companies are trustworthy.

Meanwhile, 53% of customers in Singapore expect companies to understand their needs as they change. Furthermore, 85% of customers in Singapore expect faster service and 78% expect better personalisation as technology advances.

In addition, 78% of customers in Singapore expect consistent interactions across departments and 76% expect to interact with someone immediately when they contact a company.

Lastly, in terms of customer engagement, 85% of consumers in Singapore say the experience a company provides is just as important as its products and services. However, many companies fall short – 66% of customers in Singapore say most companies treat them as a number rather than a unique individual.

Moreover, 62% of consumers in Singapore switched brands at least once in the past year. With this, the quest for better deals is the leading reason for switching brands but the demand for product quality follows closely behind. 

Sujith Abraham, senior vice president and general manager for Salesforce ASEAN, said, “Rising customer expectations means companies can’t afford to stand still when it comes to customer service. Technologies such as AI hold immense potential for businesses to keep up with changing needs and preferences. But this also raises pressing concerns around the ethics of AI.”

He added, “The trust imperative is now more important than ever. Companies that will succeed are those that demonstrate they are approaching the technology thoughtfully, grounded in transparency and security, in order to win the trust of their customers.”

APAC – Advertising agency Dentsu Creative has released its 2023 Global CMO Report, ‘Creativity at a Crossroads’, revealing that the current industry landscape is at a crossroads, but it is one empowered by creativity and technology.

Data from the report indicates that 30% of CMOs prioritize strengthening customer relationships, while 28% focus on engaging with changing audiences, responding to evolving consumer behavior, representing diverse audiences, and adapting to new technology.

It also states that CMOs seek tech-human experiences, with 87% agreeing brands are forged through experiences and 88% valuing alignment between customer experience and brand promise. CMOs have begun to embrace new interfaces such as voice, gesture, AR and AI. 

Additionally, CMOs are now prioritizing entertainment for brand building, investing in platforms like podcasts and programming. 79% agree that advertising is easier to ignore, and 80% see technologies like live streaming blurring content-commerce lines. Humor is resurging, with 58% aiming for joyful moments in advertising amidst crowded, uninspiring messaging.

Talking about AI, CMOs cautiously embrace AI, appreciating its efficiencies but doubting its ability to deeply engage customers. Notably, while some worry about AI’s impact on their jobs, 75% think it can’t fully replace human creativity.

CMOs also increasingly care about balancing purpose and profit, with 62% worrying about their impact on the environment and society, while 64% express concern that their media funding could lead to political polarization. However, 81% believe brands can use their budgets to support diverse voices, maintaining that advertising can be a force for good.

Lastly, CMOs prioritize creativity in response to audience demands for brand integrity and engaging content with 85% seeing creativity as an economic catalyst. Unlocking the creativity needed to thrive in today’s connected world sits firmly at the intersection of brand, experience, and culture. Fortunately, sweet spots are now emerging for brands and businesses to connect with modern customers in the spaces and places that matter most.  

Patricia McDonald, chief strategy officer of Dentsu Creative, observed, “To own the audience, we need to connect in the spaces and places that matter most to them. The challenge is that audiences are changing: they have new expectations, new behaviors, and new values shaped by a deeply connected world.” 

“Their expectations have soared while their attention has polarized-they can dive deeper than ever into the things they love and find it easier than ever to ignore the things they don’t. So, brands must be built in new ways through experiences, through culture, and through action. The choice is simple: engage or be ignored,” she added. 

Meanwhile, Amit Wadhwa, CEO, Dentsu Creative India, commented, “Now, in a world where AI threatens to steal the spotlight from human creativity, it is reassuring to see that a massive 73% of India’s marketers firmly believe that Generative AI will never outshine the boundless brilliance of the human imagination. Frankly, I couldn’t agree more. The report underscores this crucial juncture where creativity, technology, and strategic insights blend – setting the stage for an exciting future in the world of marketing.”

Sydney, Australia – HubSpot has unveiled their new ‘Hubspot AI’ as well as new Sales Hub capabilities during their annual ‘INBOUND’ conference, introducing a new set of platform-wide AI-powered products and features to help customer-facing teams unlock productivity, harness data for improved performance, and create connections with customers.

HubSpot AI, as well as the new Sales Hub features, will be aiming to leverage generative and predictive AI to assist clients on their own customer acquisition and communications journeys.

HubSpot AI’s features consists a combination of new and existing products and features available globally, such as generative AI Assistant tools to supercharge marketing, sales, and service teams, AI-enhanced agent tools that help SMBs automate, respond to, and elevate their customer service across live chats and emails, predictive AI features that unlock better analysis and recommendations, as well as ‘ChatSpot’ which  combines the power of ChatGPT with dozens of unique data sources. 

Talking about HubSpot AI, Andy Pitre, EVP of product at HubSpot, said, “With HubSpot AI, we’re taking the guesswork out of generative AI and giving all customer-facing teams across sales, marketing, and service the complete toolkit to help them accomplish even more.”

On the other hand, the new Sales Hub features will include a dedicated workspace for sales reps, advanced lead management and reporting, AI-powered intelligent deal management and forecasting, seamless scheduling and handoffs, and an expansion with LinkedIn across marketing and sales. 

Speaking on HubSpot’s new Sales Hub features, Dan Bognar, VP & managing director, JAPAC at HubSpot, mentioned, “Sales Hub has been completely reimagined to enhance sales team productivity and foster stronger connections with both prospects and customers. From lead prospecting and reporting to deal management and forecasting, Sales Hub is the solution that sales teams need to drive growth today and in the future.”

Lastly, Yamini Rangan, CEO of HubSpot, shared, “We are experiencing a transformative shift with generative AI. Customer expectations are changing, and businesses now have the opportunity to leverage AI to drive customer connection at scale. We introduced many powerful new features and capabilities at INBOUND 2023, and I’m excited by our progress in becoming the #1 customer platform for scaling companies.”

Australia – Digital ad verification and fraud prevention platform TrafficGuard, has launched its Performance Max (PMax) Channel Solution to provide robust safeguards for businesses that rely on Google’s Performance Max in their digital marketing strategies.

This solution allows TrafficGuard to detect and categorize invalid traffic, generated by Google’s Performance Max AI wrongly recognising the ‘positive’ signals from illegitimate traffic, and optimizing towards these ‘users’.

Furthermore, It customizes exclusion lists tailored to each customer needs and subsequently guides Google’s Performance Max AI to avoid engaging with these undesirable elements, including low-value clickers and bad actors. 

This strategic approach not only safeguards businesses from illegitimate traffic but also influences the AI to focus on elevating the presence of higher-value, authentic users, resulting to an increased return on ad spend as budget is optimized to target more genuine people, valuable insights so users can spot trends and optimize digital media channels accordingly, and time and resources saved with automated invalid traffic and fraud protections.

TrafficGuard’s Pmax channel solution also provides a Data Collection Filter, which enables businesses to mitigate their exposure to unwanted data collection, which is critical in the prevention of the inadvertent collection of children’s data by businesses utilizing PMax and ensures businesses comply with local data privacy and child protection legislation.

Mathew Ratty, CEO of TrafficGuard, said, “We launched our Pmax Channel solution to give marketers greater visibility and control over their Performance Max campaigns. It provides in- depth reporting analysis, audience targeting solutions, and invalid traffic filters that enables marketers to maximize ROI, safeguard their campaigns and make informed decisions.”

“At the same time, they can influence the PMax algorithm to ensure the data it optimizes towards is as close to your target audience as possible. This enables businesses to prevent the negative effects of the black box algorithm, as they can influence it to their advantage,” he added. 

Meanwhile, Elie Shuggi, chief product officer at TrafficGuard, mentioned, “This solution addresses a crucial need within our marketing community. Trusting black box algorithms has become increasingly challenging, and we believe TrafficGuard’s PMax solution offers the protection they seek.” 

Singapore – In a time characterised by rapidly shifting customer preferences and heightened digital engagement, harnessing the power of AI technology has emerged as a paramount strategy for delivering a truly seamless customer experience (CX). AI’s capability to intelligently analyse huge volumes of data and predict customer behaviour not only enables personalised interactions but also empowers companies to proactively address needs, resolve issues, and create journeys that resonate deeply with each individual. But with the CX landscape continuously transforming, how can companies leverage the power of AI technology to adapt to increasing customer expectations and excel in a competitive market landscape?

To explore the potential of platform tech integrations in redefining customer experience strategies, MARKETECH APAC presents a new webinar this September 21. Titled “CX Revolution: Leveraging AI Tech for Seamless Customer Experience“, the webinar aims to impart valuable insights to marketers on leveraging technology to enhance customer interactions, streamline communication channels, and deliver personalised experiences that resonate with the target audience.

The webinar will host a panel discussion with some of leading industry experts in Asia Pacific to share their thoughts on how brands can revolutionise their current customer experiences to become more future-proof and efficient. The panel is composed of Admir Mašin, head of platforms in Asia-Pacific at Infobip; Lisa Collins, director of experience platforms at Accenture; James McIntyre, customer experience lead at Cashrewards; and Prerna Pant, co-founder of Radarr. 

The panel discussion will also discuss the following:

  • Assessing Brands’ CX Scores: What are the crucial aspects when evaluating the performance of brands’ CX scores?
  • Mapping the CX Journey: How do the critical stages of the CX journey play a role in achieving excellence in customer experiences?
  • Empowering CX of the future: How can strategic adoption of future-proof technologies enhance and advance customer experience capabilities?

Meanwhile, Infobip’s Mašin will be also doing a keynote presentation where he will be discussing how brands can elevate and innovate their customer journey strategies through advanced communication technologies. Moreover, it will also tackle the following key points for discussion:

  • Beyond the Surface: Delving into Communication Tech Platforms and Their Limitless Potential
  • Innovating Together: Harnessing Communication Tech Platforms to Break Down Silos in Customer Journeys
  • Strategic Tech Synergy: Illuminating How Communication Platforms Drive Ultimate CX Enhancement

“The rapid advancements in AI technology are sure to revolutionise the CX journey, prompting marketers to redefine their brands’ CX strategies as they aim to enhance customer interactions while also improving agility and efficiency. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn from experts on tech integrations, streamlining channels, and personalised experiences for your targeted audience,” said Katherine Sy, regional head of content at MARKETECH APAC. 

CX Revolution: Leveraging AI Tech for Seamless Customer Experience is made in partnership with global cloud communications platform Infobip. Catch this webinar on September 21, 11AM (GMT+8) by registering HERE. See you there!

Singapore – Social and media intelligence firm Meltwater has recently appointed two senior hires to spearhead its customer journey and business functions, as well as to bolster their footprint in the APAC region.

The new appointments are Huixian Yang as customer experience director, and Jeff Piniros as sales development director. These appointments are in line with Meltwater’s expansion in the area, which has been centered on Southeast Asia and Japan. 

In their new roles. Yang will be using her data-driven methodology to deliver exceptional customer service and help define Meltwater’s worldwide framework for customer success. Meanwhile, Piniros will be in charge of developing the pipeline in order to support revenue and growth objectives and develop the upcoming sales talent.

Commenting on both appointments, David Hickey, executive director of Meltwater, said, “Huixian and Jeff will be pivotal in steering the company through our next phase of growth. With the recent launch of Meltwater’s powerful new Enterprise Intelligence Suite in the region, we have also welcomed a slew of key enterprise clients. We plan to continue building on our best-in-class artificial intelligence, natural language processing, computer vision and inference models to expand our capabilities and serve the evolving marketing needs of organizations.”

These hires follow Meltwater’s 52% growth in new business for APAC in Q2 2023, with companies such as PGAG, Shang Properties, and Inquirer.net employing their influencer management platforms, and AI-powered ‘Engage’ and ‘Explore’ services.

Singapore – Customer engagement platform Twilio announced that it will enable companies to create personalized, customer-aware experiences powered by OpenAI.

Through this integration, Twilio clients will be able to use OpenAI’s GPT-4 model to fuel new generative capabilities in ‘Twilio Engage’, the company’s multichannel marketing solution built on the segment customer data platform, as a result of this integration. 

This collaboration with OpenAI will formalize opportunities that many in Twilio’s community of more than 10 million developers have already been experimenting with. For instance, it’s possible to build a ChatGPT plugin for Twilio, which gives users the ability to access Twilio directly from ChatGPT’s interface, creating a new channel for brands to serve their customers better.

Furthermore, developers can create voice-activated chatbots, and feature capabilities can even range to build  serverless SMS chatbots. These builds validate the potential of OpenAI and Twilio’s ongoing and aligned efforts, and the value it can bring to customers looking to enhance customer engagement strategies.

Talking about the integration, Jeff Lawson, CEO of Twilio, said, “Experiences like ChatGPT are coming to the enterprise to power groundbreaking experiences in sales, service, content, marketing and more. Twilio CustomerAI enables companies to build customer-aware interactions – giving the language models context about the customer they’re helping. Without customer-awareness, any ChatGPT-like experiences would be generic and unhelpful. But with CustomerAI, companies can transform LLMs into the most helpful, knowledgeable agent imaginable at scale.”

Meanwhile, Brad Lightcap, COO of OpenAI, commented, “As AI drives down the cost of intelligence, it is increasingly possible for companies to deliver a deeply personalized experience for every customer. We know how much people want this, and we’re happy to be working with Twilio to bring it to the world. Twilio’s customer data platform will enable today’s and tomorrow’s large language models to unlock deep personalization at scale for every business.”