Simon Cetin, founder and partner at iPROM and founder and head of the Retoba laboratory, spoke with the Slovenian Marketing Association about the future of marketing in the age of artificial intelligence. In the interview, he emphasized that artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer merely a tool for increasing efficiency, but a strategic interlocutor in thinking, creating, and decision-making. He shared his insights with the Slovenian Marketing Association on how AI will reshape marketing practices and what opportunities and responsibilities this transformation brings for companies and individuals.

Today, the question is no longer whether to advertise on digital channels, but whether to do so as a first and deliberate strategic choice. The focus has shifted from justifying digital advertising to evaluating the maturity and targeting of the digital approach. Businesses that do not yet recognise the importance of digital today risk losing visibility, market presence, and effectiveness tomorrow. Although market conditions are unpredictable and change rapidly, digital advertising remains a rare constant. Its value is not derived from its current popularity, but from its ability to connect data sources, advanced technologies and business objectives in real time. Compared to traditional channels, digital advertising offers faster response times, a higher degree of flexibility and more precise targeting. Today, it is a key tool for resilience and long-term growth.

In the digital age, data is no longer just a support tool – it lies at the heart of business decisions. In digital advertising in particular, success increasingly depends on the quality of data. Among all types, first-party data is a stand-out. This is the data that companies collect directly from users through their own channels, such as websites, mobile apps or emails. Because it’s obtained transparently and legally from a direct source, it is considered the most reliable insight into users’ needs, behaviours and intentions. And yet – although many companies are aware of this – steps towards the active use of first-party data often remain unmade.

Simon Cetin, founder and partner at iPROM and head of the Retoba Lab, emphasized the importance of data sovereignty in digital advertising in an article for Marketing magazin. He argued that companies without the vision to build their own data ecosystems end up paying others to access and activate their own data, which in the long run puts them in a dependent position and drives up marketing costs.

Advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning are having a significant impact on the evolution of digital advertising. With sophisticated algorithms, advertisers can better understand user behaviour, predict purchase intent more accurately and create more relevant and effective advertising messages. These innovations are driving better results and an improved user experience. However, many advertisers still have limited access to their own data, which is often locked within the closed ecosystems of global platforms. In this blog, I will outline how companies that want more control over their data and greater independence in their digital advertising can use iPROM Private DMP to develop their own data management strategy.

Hyper-personalization of advertising uses advanced data technologies to create advertising messages that are precisely tailored to individual users. While we’ve been discussing this concept in digital advertising circles for some time, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) takes it to a whole new level. Rather than relying on generic ads that appeal to a broad audience, hyper-personalization enables the creation of content that responds directly to users’ unique interests, behaviors and needs.

Display advertising remains a key investment area for companies in the retail and FMCG industries. According to E-Marketer, these industries are expected to invest an increasing share of their digital advertising budgets this year and beyond. A primary driver is their focus on top-of-funnel advertising with the main objective of building brand awareness. Display advertising is particularly effective for creating a visual and emotional connection with target audiences, making it very important for consumer products like cosmetics, food, and beverages.

In a previous blog post I discussed why first-party data is the most valuable data asset today, offering companies valuable insights into their own media users to identify ad messages. Having said that, it is still important to recognize the pitfalls of relying solely on first-party data. While it allows us to better target existing customers, it falls short when it comes to reaching new potential customers, as it only reaches customers who have previously interacted with our data sources. Third-party data complements first-party data to expand reach and create opportunities to acquire new customers.

First-party data is becoming central to business processes and protecting user privacy is becoming increasingly important for companies. As third-party cookies are being phased out opportunities for targeting users are diminishing, creating new challenges for companies. They must balance the demands for personalized content with the growing need for data protection and data privacy.

Change is the only constant in digital advertising, but one core principle remains key: reaching the right user at the right time with a relevant message. First-party data has become a fundamental element in delivering more personalised and effective ad campaigns, especially when it comes to reaching and nurturing existing customers. But why is it crucial for companies to store it in private data warehouses such as iPROM Private DMP? And how can this data be used to make digital advertising more effective?