AI & Ads in 2025: What Every Growth-Minded Brand Should Know — with Hikari Senju

In this episode, Mike Sirius and Hikari Senju delve into the transformative role of AI in advertising. They explore how AI can streamline ad creation, enhance personalisation, and improve efficiency, while also discussing the importance of understanding growth loops and the impact of customer obsession on business success. Hikari shares insights on the evolution of advertising, the challenges of generating effective ads with AI, and the performance metrics that matter. The discussion highlights the balance between leveraging AI technology and maintaining brand authenticity.

Takeaways

• AI advertisement saves time and money for founders.
• Growth loops create a compelling user journey.
• Second order effects are crucial for sustainable growth.
• AI can personalize ads based on real-time data.
• The creative process in advertising was traditionally labor-intensive.
• AI can generate multiple ad variations quickly.
• Performance metrics are essential for evaluating ad success.
• AI-generated ads can outperform traditional ads in ROI.
• Authenticity in branding is vital for consumer trust.
• AI's capabilities in video generation are still developing. The market will dictate who runs advertising cheaper and more effectively.
• Personalized products have been trending due to social media and targeted advertising.
• Finding the right audience is crucial for D2C brands.
• AI fuels the fragmentation of brands targeting niche audiences.
• Legacy brands may regain value as consumers seek trust and comfort.
• YouTube's data is a competitive advantage for Google.
• Legal risks exist in using AI-generated content without permission.
• AI technology is improving at an exponential rate.
• Most video ads on platforms like YouTube will soon be AI-generated.
• Return on ad spend is the most critical metric for advertising success.

Sound Bites

"Growth loops create a snowball effect for business."

"Customer obsession drives growth as a number one."

"AI can generate thousands of ads in one go."

"Authenticity is key for brand trust in advertising."

"AI does a better job with graphic design than video."

"AI's uncanny valley still exists in video ads."

"The market will dictate who will run this cheaper."

"There's been a trend towards personalised products."

"AI just fuels that further."

"YouTube is a massive treasure trove of data."

"Stealing someone's artwork is a real risk."

"Return on ad spend is the most important metric."