By kbodnar@hubspot.com (Kipp Bodnar and Kieran Flanagan)

AI-generated video content is turning the marketing world on its head. But what trends should marketers be focusing on to stay ahead of the competition?

If you’ve been following the latest buzz in AI marketing trends — and you should be — you know that AI video tools are at the forefront of this change.

Whether it’s trained ad avatars or hyper-personalized video scripts, these technologies are irreversibly changing how we create content and engage with our audiences. But with such rapid innovation, what’s actually worth the hype?

Kieran and I experimented with some of these new developments in a recent episode of Marketing Against the Grain, including a viral AI video on Twitter and an AI-generated ad created in less than 15 minutes.

Among the many AI video options available, these four trends have been particularly notable — and are worth paying close attention to.

1. Avatar actors and likeness licensing are the new norm.

Instead of hiring an actor to read a script or act in an ad, businesses can now license an actor’s likeness, use it to train an AI model, and then use that model to create ads and avatars. This enables marketers to quickly generate a variety of content, testing, and refining different approaches and messages without the logistical constraints of traditional video shoots.

For example, this viral video ad features a woman casually talking about a product while seated inside her car. What’s so significant about it, however, is that while she’s a real actress hired off of Fiverr, the video itself is generated by AI video, using tools like Arcads.

“This produces video content that is human-trained but AI-agent delivered,” Kieran explains. “That’s quite an unbelievable concept to think through.”

2. Low-quality but authentic content is driving engagement.

Polished, high-budget video ads are quickly becoming a thing of the past — or at least, less favored by audiences. Instead, low-production, personable videos are taking the lead, outperforming traditional ads on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels.

Take, for example, the viral video I mentioned above: it’s not polished or high-budget. Instead, it’s set in a poorly-lit car, with an unflattering angle. Yet people are more likely to engage with it. Why?

“Because it feels authentic, relatable, and personable,” Kieran explains. “It’s how a real person would talk about a product.”

For marketers, this shift means experimenting with AI tools like HeyGen and InfinityAI, which quickly create videos that drive engagement, despite — or even because of — their imperfections.

3. Video personalization and customization are must-haves.

Hyper-personalized videos that cater to customers’ accessibility needs, languages, and preferences are essential for successful marketing campaigns.

During the episode, we highlighted how AI tools can use customer data from your CRM platform — like call logs, support tickets, and emails — to craft personalized video scripts. This enables marketing teams to deliver tailored content that feels uniquely targeted and relevant to each individual viewer.

We also experimented with HeyGen’s …read more

Source:: HubSpot Blog

Author: Aaron