GenAI in branding: Advertising and marketing professionals’ views
Abstract
This paper explores how advertising professionals view generative AI (GenAI) in branding. Based on 22 interviews and a customer-based brand equity-informed model,1 it shows that GenAI enhances personalisation, creativity, engagement and workflow efficiency across brand-building stages. While seen as a powerful tool for tailoring experiences and accelerating campaigns, concerns include authenticity, ethics and loss of human touch. The study contributes a framework for understanding GenAI’s impact on brand equity and offers practical guidance for responsible use, stressing the need to balance automation with human insight. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Huan Chen, PhD, is chair and professor in the Department of Advertising at the University of Florida. Her research focuses on AI and communication, social media and advertising, and international and cross‑cultural advertising. She has published more than 90 articles in leading journals such as the Journal of Advertising, International Journal of Advertising and Journal of Business Research. Dr Chen serves on the editorial boards of several major journals, including the Journal of Advertising, International Journal of Advertising, Journal of Advertising Research, Journal of Interactive Advertising, Annals of Management Science and the Journal of Ethnographic & Qualitative Research. Her work has received multiple top paper and research awards, as well as funding from the American Academy of Advertising, the National Science Foundation and the Honda USA Foundation. She holds a PhD in communication and information from the University of Tennessee, an MA in advertising from the University of Florida and BA and MA degrees from Wuhan University.
Xiaofan Wei, MA, is a PhD student and graduate assistant at the College of Journalism and Communications, University of Florida. Her research focuses on the interplay between branding and social media advertising, particularly the use of artificial intelligence in branding strategies and the growing influence of digital influencer endorsements. Her work has been published in peer‑reviewed journals including the Journal of Advertising, Journal of Interactive Advertising, Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising and the Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship.
Xinyi Zuo, MA, is a PhD student at the College of Journalism and Communications, University of Florida. Her research focuses on artificial intelligence in advertising. She holds an MA degree in mass communication from the University of Florida and a BA degree in liberal arts and sciences from the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign.
Cheng Chang is an incoming PhD student at the Stan Richards School of Advertising and Public Relations at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research examines the intersection of artificial intelligence, advertising and social advocacy, with a focus on how generative AI can support public health, sustainability and gender equity. She has contributed to studies on consumer perceptions of AI–human collaboration and the effectiveness of virtual influencers in communicating social issues. Cheng holds an MS in digital social media from the University of Southern California and a BA in strategic communication from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.
