Artificial intelligence is reshaping global advertising. 

In the wake of November 2025, global soda giant Coca-Cola rolled out its second AI-generated holiday ad campaign, featuring its iconic trucks.

Eagle-eyed viewers have noticed glitchy inconsistencies. The studio behind the ad said Coke is pioneering AI, “rather than waiting for it to be 100% ready.”

The real question is whether this encourages or deters the confidence of their target market? 

TL;DR

• Overall, 54% of respondents across 17 countries believe AI will enhance the quality of marketing content within the next five years.
• Early adopters include brands across e-commerce, media, and tech that use AI for copywriting, ad targeting, and dynamic creative optimization. 

The insights come from a YouGov survey in 2023, which sampled the opinions of professionals.

Global Confidence in AI for Advertising: Which Countries Lead the Charge?

As AI infiltrates marketing and advertising workflows, global confidence is far from uniform. 

Some markets are racing ahead, embracing AI to amplify creative efficiency, while others remain hesitant. 

The full spectrum of sentiment across 17 markets is captured below.

Percentages represent individuals reacting to the impact of AI on adverts and marketing

The data are based on surveys of adults aged 18+ in 18 markets, with sample sizes ranging from 437 to 2,045 per market.

Southeast Asia and the Middle East emerge as AI champions, with Indonesia, the UAE, Thailand, and India showing 59–65% optimism that AI will improve advertising content. 

AI adoption in advertising is not just about technology but also about trust, cultural readiness, and a strategic willingness to integrate automation. 

Markets embracing AI aggressively are positioning themselves for faster, more data-driven content innovation, while more cautious regions may approach deployment more slowly and in an evaluative fashion.

AI’s Impact on Campaigns In 5 Years’ Time

In the sphere of content creation and production, AI is set to shift from a supporting role to a dominant co‑creator. 

According to the survey, only 38% believe that AI will improve content for advertising and marketing in five years, while 20% think it will worsen.

Meanwhile, the global AI‑marketing industry is valued at $47.3 billion in 2025 and forecast to reach over $107.5 billion by 2028 (at a compound annual growth rate of  36.6 %). 

This means that in the next half‑decade, ad‑tech will increasingly automate not just ad copy but also image generation and even full campaign constructs; creative teams will pivot from producing assets to curating machine-generated proposals.

Meanwhile, according to McKinsey & Company’s “State of AI” report, marketing and sales remain among the top domains generating revenue from AI use.

As high‑confidence markets accelerate deployment of generative‑AI ad solutions and hyper‑personalised targeting, more cautious markets will lag, grappling with ethical, regulatory, and human‑creativity trade‑offs. 

Which Companies are Already Deploying AI Adverts? 

Big brands are treating AI‑powered adverts not as strategic milestones. 

According to SmartyAds’ list of top AI campaigns, global giants like Coca‑Cola, Heinz, and Nike have embraced generative tools such as DALL·E and ChatGPT‑4 to create campaign assets at scale. 

One case is Coca‑Cola’s “Create Real Magic” initiative, which generated thousands of user‑generated visuals within weeks, driving both brand buzz and site traffic.

Tech platforms and media‑first firms aren’t missing out. 

For example, Spectrum Reach has deployed over 15,000 AI‑powered ad campaigns through its partnership with Waymark since early 2023. 

ELI5: AI in Advertising and Marketing

Across 17 countries, just over half (54%) believe AI will improve marketing content in the next five years.

Since this data comes from a limited survey, the reality is more complex. 

Right now, the first companies using AI the most are e-commerce, media, and tech brands, mainly for writing ads, targeting customers, and creating personalized content automatically.

Sources:

YouGov | SmartyAds | SEO