AI marketing evolution is transforming how brands connect with audiences, with personalisation replacing generic messaging strategies, according to Semrush’s international director of sales, Justin Barrett.

Speaking at the Digital Marketing World Forum in Singapore on February 26, 2025, Barrett shared insights on how artificial intelligence is reshaping marketing practices and how SaaS platform Semrush is positioning its solutions to help marketers navigate this transition.

“The days of one size fits all are most definitely gone”, Barrett emphasised, pointing toward a future where hyperlocal, highly targeted content will become the norm rather than the exception.

He described Semrush as “an organisation that can help you get an end-to-end analysis of your traffic, your marketing plans and how they’re optimised to best reach your audience”, highlighting the company’s focus on delivering actionable insights.

When addressing concerns about AI potentially replacing marketing jobs, Barrett offered a more optimistic perspective, explaining: “What it’s actually going to do is going to evolve the way we market. It’s going to free up a pool of time for us to be more strategic in the way that we work”.

He clarified that AI won’t replace the creative aspects of marketing but will instead enhance how marketers understand their audiences and automate previously manual tasks. “It’s a huge opportunity for marketers, and Semrush is uniquely positioned at the moment, without launching our AI solutions to help marketers capitalise upon that,” Barrett noted.

Practical applications of AI in marketing

Semrush’s AI implementations focus on practical improvements to marketing outcomes, according to Barrett. Their technology analyses keywords and content, then recommends changes to improve reach, awareness, and engagement.

When asked about measurable impacts, Barrett pointed to engagement metrics, saying: “The impacts are mostly felt in the engagement numbers. So what we do with our enterprise platform is we actually provide some of the insights and the data that you need to make those strategic investment decisions for your content.”

The result, according to Barrett, is that marketers can make better-informed business decisions and investments based on deeper data analysis.

The balancing act: AI automation and human touch

One of the key challenges marketers face is maintaining the human element while leveraging AI capabilities. Barrett acknowledged this tension but suggested that, when implemented correctly, AI can actually enhance personalisation rather than diminish it.

“Rather than a blanket message to everyone in this room, you will give them a personalised message based on their areas of interest that we know about”, Barrett explained. “If it’s done incorrectly, it can give you a very common impression. If it’s done correctly, it can actually enhance the personalisation experience”.

This perspective challenges the notion that AI-driven marketing is inherently less human, suggesting instead that the technology can facilitate more meaningful connections when properly deployed.

The future of marketing practices

When asked which current marketing practices might become obsolete in the near future, Barrett didn’t hesitate: “One of the first things that spring to mind automatically is bulk email sending. I mean, those days are behind us, I would say, people no longer respond to those”.

Instead, he envisions a future dominated by hyper localised, problem-solving content that improves customer experience rather than disrupting it. “Where we are going is towards hyperlocalisation, where people will start seeing content very specifically tailored for what they need”, Barrett predicted.

He suggests that well-targeted marketing should strive to be a service rather than an intrusion.

Ethical considerations in AI marketing

Barrett also addressed the growing concerns around AI ethics and responsible adoption, identifying two primary areas of concern: legal and ethical implications.

“From a legal perspective, you have to be mindful of copyright issues,” he explained. “When AI summarises or creates content, we need to consider where that content is coming from and ensure we’re not venturing into plagiarism or copyright infringement.”

On the ethical front, Barrett highlighted the issue of bias: “Are we serving up content with a particular bias based on the source of the information?”

He noted that these frameworks are still evolving but predicted a convergence of legal and ethical considerations in the future. Barrett suggested that Semrush helps organisations navigate these challenges by “measuring their campaigns and making sure that it’s landing correctly”.

The real value of AI in marketing

Barrett also contextualised AI’s value in marketing compared to other sectors. He said: “In the marketing space, the benefit to AI is probably the most pronounced, along with certain others, like the legal space, or in the medical space, for example.”

He observed that marketing is seeing results from AI implementation more quickly than other industries, “mostly in terms of creating content that is going to resonate with the right audience segment”.

Barrett also offered a sobering perspective on AI hype, noting that “AI is a catchphrase that everyone’s using” and emphasising the technology’s limitations: “All it does is automate some of the stuff that you previously wouldn’t have and create some content. But it’s not going to replace…it’ll get you to a good draft, but it’s never going to get you to an end result.”

This nuanced view of AI’s capabilities suggests that while the technology offers significant advantages, human creativity and judgment remain essential to effective marketing strategies – a balanced perspective from the frontlines of marketing technology evolution.

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