The implications of applying artificial intelligence in advertising on brand authenticity perception and consumer loyalty.
Implikacije primene veštačke inteligencije u oglašavanju na percepciju autentičnosti brenda i lojalnost potrošača
Abstract
The rapid development of artificial intelligence and its comprehensive application in the contemporary business environment have led to significant changes in the way brands communicate with consumers. However, although the use of generative artificial intelligence in creating promotional campaigns represents one of the newest trends in marketing communications, the number of empirical studies examining this topic is still insufficiently represented in academic literature. Accordingly, this paper aims to identify consumer preferences and attitudes toward advertisements generated by artificial intelligence, with a particular focus on preserving brand identity, consistency, and authenticity of communication. After reviewing the relevant literature, the paper presents the results of an indicative study on the attitudes of Generation Z and Millennial respondents regarding the use of artificial intelligence in brand communication. The research was conducted on a sample of 112 participants using a quantitative research approach, applying descriptive statistics and t-tests to examine statistically significant differences in the perception of traditional advertisements and those generated with the help of artificial intelligence. A specific part of the research consisted of an experiment in which respondents compared two holiday advertisements of the Coca-Cola brand—one created by humans and the other with the help of artificial intelligence—to determine the extent to which AI-generated content conveys brand values, maintains its consistency and recognizability, and how consumers evaluate such content in comparison with traditional formats. The results showed that consumers still tend to perceive traditional advertisements as more authentic and emotionally persuasive, while advertisements generated with the help of artificial intelligence are perceived as innovative and efficient, but with a limited impact on brand loyalty and trust.
Apstrakt
Ubrzani razvoj veštačke inteligencije i njena sveobuhvatna primena u savremenom poslovnom okruženju doveli su do značajnih promena u načinu komunikacije između brendova i potrošača. Međutim, iako je jedan od najnovijih trendova u oblasti marketinških komunikacija korišćenje generativne veštačke inteligencije u kreiranju promotivnih kampanja, broj empirijskih studija koje istražuju ovu temu još uvek je nedovoljno zastupljen u naučnoj literaturi. Shodno tome, cilj ovog rada je da se identifikuju potrošačke preferencije i stavovi u vezi sa reklamama generisanim veštačkom inteligencijom, sa posebnim osvrtom na očuvanje identiteta brenda, doslednosti i autentičnosti komunikacije. Nakon pregleda relevante literature prikazani su rezultati indikativnog istraživanja stavova pripadnika generacije Z i milenijalaca o primeni veštačke inteligencije u komunikaciji brendova. Istraživanje je sprovedeno na uzorku od 112 ispitanika i korišćen je kvantitativni istraživački pristup, uz upotrebu deskriptivne statistike i t-testa za ispitivanje statistički značajnih razlika u percepciji tradicionalnih reklama i reklama generisanih uz pomoć veštačke inteligencije. Poseban segment istraživanja činio je eksperiment u kojem su ispitanici upoređivali dve praznične reklame brenda Coca-Cola, jednu kreiranu od strane ljudi, a drugu uz pomoć veštačke inteligencije, sa ciljem utvrđivanja u kojoj meri sadržaj generisan veštačkom inteligencijom prenosi vrednosti brenda, održava njegovu doslednost i prepoznatljivost, kao i načina na koji potrošači vrednuju ovakav sadržaj u poređenju sa tradicionalnim formatima. Rezultati su pokazali da potrošači i dalje u većoj meri percipiraju tradicionalne reklame kao autentičnije i emotivno ubedljivije, dok su reklame generisane uz pomoć veštačke inteligencije percipirane kao inovativne i efikasne, ali sa ograničenim uticajem na lojalnost i poverenje prema brendu.
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