For those of us following the world of digital experiences, a worrying trend has been emerging. Brand managers, marketers and UX designers are increasingly ‘playing it safe’, falling back on recognisable designs and experiences that they know will resonate across multiple channels, but not necessarily ‘wow’ audiences with something new. Termed “Blandification“, this trend has been described as “the drift towards uniformity and lack of distinction in brand experiences”.
Blandification has become a shortcut for marketers and brands. A way to build acceptable omnichannel experiences without having to invest in standout creativity, or true personalisation.
The only problem is: it doesn’t work.
Customers have zero patience for generic, one-size-fits-all digital experiences. Blandification simply isn’t good enough. But the alternative — seamless, compelling, hyper-relevant experiences — can feel overwhelming, too complex and time-consuming for marketers to manage. So how do you deliver flawless, highly personal digital experiences without drowning in complexity?
The answer? AI.
Artificial intelligence is the key to delivering more personal, more compelling, and less bland digital experiences, quickly and at scale. Here’s just a few examples of how marketers can beat the ‘bland’ and make experiences that drive customer engagement, stimulate loyalty and keep customers coming back for more:
AI personalisation: Non-negotiable, not a nice-to-have
Marketers love to talk about personalization, but let’s face it—most brands still rely on outdated, rule-based approaches that miss the mark. Static customer segments and broad personas might have worked a decade ago, but today’s consumers expect brands to recognize them as individuals, not as demographics.
However, implementing this at scale has always presented a considerable hurdle for marketers. Manual personalisation may be time-consuming and prone to error, while rigid, rule-based strategies often fail to capture the nuances of evolving customer preferences.
This is where AI-driven personalisation stands apart. Unlike traditional methods, AI continuously adapts to brand requirements and customer behaviours, adjusting in real time to ensure relevance. It processes vast volumes of data, extracting insights that would otherwise go unnoticed, allowing marketers to create highly targeted and meaningful experiences.
Rather than relying on static segmentation, AI identifies behavioural patterns and predicts customer intent. If a shopper repeatedly engages with a specific category, for instance, AI adjusts recommendations, messaging, and content to reflect their interests, without human intervention. This creates campaigns that feel genuinely tailored to the individual, driving deeper engagement and long-term brand affinity.
AI as a creative partner, not a replacement
There’s a tired old debate about whether AI will replace marketers. The reality? AI isn’t coming for your job—but it can make you better at it.
For marketers, balancing creativity with operational efficiency is a constant challenge. AI is often seen as a tool for automation, but it’s true value lies in acting as a strategic collaborator, augmenting existing human ingenuity.
Used wisely, AI can learn from previous campaigns, recognise a brand’s distinct voice, and translate past successes (and failures) into useful insights. For example, it might suggest ways to reinterpret content for different audiences, develop ideas based on performance trends, or identify opportunities hidden within data sets. By doing the heavy lifting of analysis and process management, AI allows marketers to focus on creating appealing narratives and big-picture strategies.
This partnership reshapes the creative process. Marketers can ideate, test, and refine campaigns more efficiently, making real-time adjustments based on AI-driven insights. With AI handling time-intensive analysis and operational logistics, teams can focus on storytelling and customer connection. The result? More impactful campaigns, content that resonates with audiences, and less ‘blandification’ of the digital experience.
AI’s adaptive learning for personalisation
Traditional marketing strategies often feel like educated guesswork—because they are. AI changes that by continuously learning and adapting in real time. It detects shifts in consumer behavior as they happen, adjusting messaging, content, and offers accordingly.
For example, an AI system could identify when a consumer is browsing specific product categories and dynamically suggest appropriate products or content. Unlike traditional personalisation tactics that rely on established rules, AI evolves with each new data point, revealing trends that marketers may overlook. This dynamic adaptation guarantees that campaigns stay relevant and influential.
Beyond individual encounters, adaptive AI improves the whole consumer experience by seamlessly connecting touchpoints across channels (e.g. mobile, in store, website, etc.). The capacity to customise at scale and in real time strengthens consumer relations and cultivates loyalty. With AI fine-tuning each moment of engagement, marketers can ensure that they are consistently meeting — and exceeding — customer expectations, making personalisation an effective tool for generating memorable digital experiences.
AI as the new competitive advantage
AI is no longer a tool for automation; it’s the key to redefining how brands interact with their audiences. AI bridges the gap between efficiency and human connection by allowing for dynamic personalisation, optimised workflows, and serving as a creative partner.
Unlike so much of traditional marketing automation, this isn’t just about doing more with less—it’s about doing it better. As AI evolves, expect digital experiences to become more predictive, more meaningful, and ultimately, more human. The brands that get this right won’t just meet customer expectations; they’ll set them.
- About Tina Nelson
- About Optimizely
Tina Nelson is a results-oriented professional with over 20 years of experience, passionate about equipping companies with powerful tools to drive impactful outcomes. In her current role at Optimizely, Tina collaborates closely with product, marketing, and sales teams to communicate the exceptional value the platform delivers. She takes pride in amplifying Optimizely’s impact to a global audience of over 9,000 brands, championing the success it brings to customers across industries.
Optimizely is on a mission to make the lives of marketers better with Optimizely One, the world’s first operating system for marketing teams. Optimizely One combines industry-leading solutions across content management, content marketing, experimentation, commerce and personalization, powering every stage of the marketing lifecycle through a single, AI-accelerated workflow. With the flexibility of a fully composable platform, Optimizely is proudly helping global brands like H&M, Salesforce, Zoom and Toyota create content with speed, launch experiments with confidence, and deliver experiences of the highest quality. Learn more at optimizely.com.
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