Chennai: Artificial intelligence is moving beyond assisting marketers to increasingly influencing decisions, executing campaigns and shaping customer journeys, according to a new white paper by Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai.
Titled AI in Marketing: From Insight to Action: How AI Is Rewiring Modern Marketing, the study examines how AI is changing marketing practices and consumer behaviour. It was launched in the presence of C.K. Ranganathan, Chairman, CavinKare, who shared insights on building differentiated brands through innovation, execution and consumer understanding.
The research identifies a four-stage evolution of AI in marketing, moving from foundational data capabilities and predictive modelling to collaborative human-AI decision-making and eventually an agentic stage. At this stage, AI can autonomously orchestrate campaign cycles, conduct real-time ad bidding and influence inventory decisions.
Prof. Bharadhwaj Sivakumaran, one of the lead authors of the white paper, said, “What our research makes clear is that AI adoption in marketing is not a technology question, it is a leadership question. Organisations are not struggling to access AI; they are struggling to govern it. The marketers who will create lasting advantage are those who know when to let AI execute and when human judgement must step in, to protect brand trust, cultural relevance and the quality of customer relationships.”
Authored by Prof. Bharadhwaj Sivakumaran, Prof. Arti Srivastava and Prof. Kalpana C., the study draws on insights from senior marketing decision-makers across BFSI, retail, FMCG and services.
The research also highlights a shift in consumer behaviour, with traditional linear marketing funnels increasingly giving way to a non-linear “4S” journey of Streaming, Scrolling, Searching and Shopping. This fragmented path to purchase is increasing the need for brands to respond to consumers in real time across multiple touchpoints.
Sharing his thoughts, C.K. Ranganathan, Founder, CavinKare, said: “Building a successful brand starts with a strong idea, but the real value lies in turning that idea into a differentiated and profitable proposition that addresses an unmet consumer need. As technology and AI reshape marketing, brands will have access to greater speed, data and intelligence, but human judgement will remain critical in deciding how those capabilities are used. The brands that will win, especially in a diverse market like Bharat, will be those that combine technology with deep consumer understanding, quality, convenience and relentless innovation.”
The study cites industry applications where AI has reduced the time required to analyse datasets containing 10,000–15,000 records from around four hours to just over an hour. In one financial services example, AI-driven customer profiling reduced the outreach required for a campaign from approximately 12 lakh customers to 2 lakh.
However, the research draws a distinction between efficiency and effectiveness, noting that AI can process information and optimise for scale, while human judgement remains important for context, empathy and customer relationships.
“AI can optimise for volume, not value; it can provide scores, but it cannot give you empathy or understand the true quality of a customer interaction.”
The white paper therefore positions the future marketer as a strategic conductor, responsible for directing AI while ensuring brand authenticity, ethical decision-making and cultural nuance are maintained.
The findings were presented at the annual Brand Conclave at Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai, held under the theme ‘The Next Billion Customers: Building Brands for Bharat’. The conclave brought together marketing leaders, entrepreneurs and future brand custodians to discuss how technology and changing consumer behaviour are reshaping brand building in India.
The research concludes that as AI becomes increasingly capable of executing marketing tasks, competitive advantage could increasingly depend on human ability to determine what matters to consumers, why it matters and how brands
