AI marketing conquers the world (and results follow)
AI marketing is crossing new territories in 2025. While Europe hones its strategies, Africa experiments with causal AI, Asia bets everything on augmented reality, and Netflix reinvents contextual advertising. Three approaches that prove that innovation sometimes comes from where you least expect it.
Afrique du Sud : Octa et Travelstart master causal AI
In South Africa, two companies have just proven that causal AI and smart bidding can revolutionize advertising performance. Octa, a Forex platform, used causal AI to refine its targeting during a Brand Lift Study among women aged 18-34.
The results speak for themselves: +23% in brand awareness and +25% in purchase intent for a video campaign. But Travelstart, a travel booking platform, is hitting the strongest: by replacing Target CPA with AI smart bidding, they now generate +50% revenue per booking.
Why it’s fascinating: This approach shows that Africa is heavily experimenting with marketing AI, using ROI-driven governance and value attribution practices that are sometimes more advanced than in Europe. While we’re still debating the fundamentals, they are testing and measuring.
https://themediaonline.co.za/2025/08/ai-marketing-africa-octa-travelstart
Southeast Asia: Sephora nails it with Virtual Artist
In Southeast Asia, Sephora transformed its mobile app into a conversion machine with ‘Virtual Artist,’ a makeup-try tool combining AI and augmented reality, paired with ultra-personalized in-app targeting.
The numbers are impressive: +28% engagement, over 200 million uses, and a strong increase in conversion rate. The AI/AR fusion finally delivers truly measurable results for beauty retail.
Strategic tip: Sephora doesn’t just offer a tech gadget; they turn virtual try-on into a true personalized shopping journey. Each interaction feeds the AI, which refines product recommendations in real time.
International: Netflix revolutionizes contextual advertising
Netflix integrates AI into its advertising suite with a novel approach: contextual placements in series and adaptation of the tone of ads to the episodes’ mood. Imagine a Stranger Things ad that automatically adapts to the show’s visual and audio cues.
The stroke of genius: ‘El Bot,’ their Facebook Messenger chatbot focused on the show’s characters, maintains an 88% retention rate across 24 countries. AI now scripts engagement and memorability for brands through entertainment and the conversational space.
The silent revolution: Netflix proves that contextual AI can create narrative continuity between content and advertising, turning ad interruptions into a creative extension.
Trois continents, une même leçon
These examples reveal a fascinating convergence: the most effective marketing AI adapts to local cultural and behavioral specifics. South Africa prioritizes precise measurement of value, Asia focuses on immersive experiences, Netflix exploits narrative context.
Successful companies no longer copy Western playbooks; they invent their own approaches by intelligently leveraging the biases and preferences of their markets.
✨ The idea to steal this week
Test the contextual adaptation of your campaigns: if you run on content platforms, adjust your creatives according to the surrounding content’s ambiance. An ad can be energetic for sports, intimate for romance, quirky for humor.
The same principle for your emails: adjust the tone according to sending time, local weather, or current events.