**Last updated:** 2025-08-31 (Asia/Kolkata)
Quick answer
AI won’t cap creativity in performance marketing—it removes drudge work (briefing, variant generation, analysis) so humans spend more time on concepts and storytelling, while measurement layers (incrementality and privacy‑safe MMM) prove what moved revenue. In 2024, “65% of respondents report that their organizations are regularly using gen AI.” Leaders that focus on fewer, high‑impact use cases anticipate ~2.1× ROI vs peers. Prove impact with Meta’s Conversion Lift and guide budgets with Google’s Meridian MMM (aggregated, no user‑level IDs). Govern with ISO/IEC 42001, prepare for EU AI Act transparency, and plan for India’s DPDP rules.
1) Creativity, uncapped — AI as amplifier
Generative tools handle volume: rapid research, variant generation, and pattern‑spotting in performance data. Humans still decide the story, taste, and brand judgment. At Cannes Lions 2025, Apple’s Tor Myhren summed it up: “The good news is AI is not going to kill advertising… the bad news is AI is not going to save advertising.” The point: AI rides shotgun; we drive.
Industry adoption is now mainstream: **”65% of respondents report that their organizations are regularly using gen AI.”** Meanwhile, BCG’s 2025 survey finds leaders focusing on ~3–4 prioritized use cases anticipate **2.1× AI ROI** vs peers spreading efforts thin.
2) The measurement spine — prove impact or it didn’t happen
**Incrementality (Meta Conversion Lift).** Incrementality quantifies causal lift by comparing a test group exposed to ads with a control group withheld via platform‑level randomization. Meta states Conversion Lift “can help you to measure the incremental effect of your ads.” Use it when scaling creative/targeting changes or entering new geos.
**Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM, Google Meridian).** MMM uses aggregated inputs (spend, impressions, price, promos, external factors) to estimate channel contributions **without user‑level IDs** — “privacy‑safe and does not use any cookie or user‑level information.” Meridian is an open framework to help advertisers run in‑house MMM.
**Evidence block**
“65 percent of respondents report that their organizations are regularly using gen AI.” — McKinsey & Company