Marketing's New Era: How AI and Data Are Transforming Brands

In a country where thousands of messages are launched every day but only a few stick, what distinguishes a brand that makes an impact from one that only makes noise? The answer lies in strategically combining creativity and technology to amplify and enrich messages with precision and value.

Brands 4.0 understand that technology is a catalyst in the service of strategy, and that differentiation comes from putting the audience at the origin of the message. Yes, they collect and connect data, automate processes, and personalize every interaction, but none of this matters if the questions that lead to real answers are not asked.

From my role as director of The Good Group, I see that marketing, communication, and public relations still require creativity, but a creativity distilled from analysis, which today is more informed than ever.

The Mexican consumer lives in two worlds: the most hyperconnected digital one in Latin America, with more than 90% of the population using smartphones, and another deeply distrustful of institutions and advertising. The opportunity lies in this contrast: It is not enough to be visible, you have to be relevant and trustworthy in a country where attention is earned through closeness and authenticity.

To achieve this, three levers drive this transformation.

First Lever: Conversational and Generative AI

This first lever makes processes more efficient and enriching.

Artificial intelligence is a central tool for scaling personalization and speeding things up. In Mexico, according to recent studies, more than half of companies already report improvements in revenue, operational times, and cost reductions from adopting AI. Automation, large-scale analysis, and chatbots are common applications with cross-functional impact in operations, logistics, supply chain, marketing, human resources, and finance. Yet, much of the market is still in an exploratory phase, while another segment remains a distant observer.

In marketing, the lever is not in the technology itself but in how we integrate it to reinforce narratives and enrich strategy. Conversational and generative AI do not replace human creativity, they amplify it. Used well, AI lets us focus on designing high-impact ideas and messages, while automating execution and analyzing in real time. 

A clear example is BBVA Mexico, which launched an AI-powered virtual assistant for WhatsApp and its mobile app. The bank uses it to answer questions, manage payments, and provide personalized financial advice, and today, more than half of its digital interactions go through this channel. In a country where WhatsApp is a part of people’s daily life, conversational AI is the way to be present in the most intimate channel of all. The challenge is to avoid robotic interactions and instead use AI to listen better and respond more humanely.

Second Lever: CDP and Marketing Automation

This second lever drives coherence. 

Companies are replacing rigid platforms with flexible ecosystems, linking CDPs with data warehouses to create more relevant and efficient marketing, unify data, and automate the customer experience. It is not enough to know who buys from us (or think we know). In a hyperconnected environment, we must integrate all the information they generate to get a full picture of their needs, pain points, and habits, and communicate with greater coherence and effectiveness.

In practice, this allows more natural, personalized journeys across the entire funnel from pre-purchase to post-sale and loyalty. Interactions are no longer lost in silos; they are orchestrated across all channels, unifying CRM, social networks, e-commerce, and direct service. The results are better conversion, retention, and satisfaction, where every contact becomes valuable for the brand and the business.

In Mexico, the digital footprint is chaotic and fragmented, since people shop online and at the corner store, comment on social media, but pay in cash. Integrating these pieces is key to building a unified view of each customer. A CDP allows us to understand an informal, multichannel, and emotionally complex market.

An example is Cinépolis, which integrated a marketing automation system connected to its app and loyalty program, Club Cinépolis. The company unifies ticket purchases, snack consumption habits, and VIP room visits to personalize communications from premiere reminders to tailored promotions. Movie magic also lives in the data.

Third Lever: Advanced Analytics and Multichannel Attribution

This third lever sharpens the aim.

The primacy of data as the basis for decision-making is now non-negotiable. Vanity metrics are not enough; today, we can understand how each investment, campaign, and channel contributes to the business. That constantly changes the game and even dictates the rules. It is critical to translate large volumes of information into concrete decisions. This is precision surgery that turns data into action.

In Mexico, where the ecosystem is especially diverse and competitive, implementing real multichannel attribution models allows companies to optimize budgets, measure returns, and prioritize what truly moves the needle.

A unique challenge is measuring a landscape where a TikTok influencer, a billboard on Periférico, and a promoter in the supermarket coexist. The value lies in connecting the digital and physical and understanding how each touchpoint pushes purchase decisions.

For this, implementing comprehensive dashboards can help with visualizing data more clearly, leading to better understanding and therefore to better decisions. Most importantly, it fosters a data-driven culture inside organizations, with teams that learn quickly, adjust in real time, and make evidence-based rather than assumption-based decisions.

An illustrative case is Coca-Cola FEMSA Mexico, which adopted unified attribution dashboards to measure the combined effect of OXXO, e-commerce, and traditional retail. With them, the company can adjust local promotions, digital campaigns, or in-store activations in real time, understanding how digital and physical interact in purchase decisions. Seeing how an Instagram post, an OXXO promotion, and a billboard on Periférico come together is what allows better investment decisions. With this 360-degree visibility, FEMSA measures better, and it decides better.

The Value of the Cultural Algorithm

These three levers — AI that amplifies, automation that orchestrates, and analytics that guides — are accelerators of real and useful connection. But it is in their integration that they enable scaling, approaching with empathy, and personalizing intelligently. Companies that embrace this mindset build consistent relationships with their audience because they act with agility and precision.

In Mexico, Brands 4.0 master technology and understand that culture, informality, and human closeness are part of the same engine. Those who can translate data into empathy and algorithms into trust will win over the Mexican consumer.