Generative AI in innovation and marketing processes: A roadmap of research opportunities

Abstract

Nowadays, we are witnessing the exponential growth of Generative AI (GenAI), a group of AI models designed to produce new content. This technology is poised to revolutionize marketing research and practice. Since the marketing literature about GenAI is still in its infancy, we offer a technical overview of how GenAI models are trained and how they produce content. Following this, we construct a roadmap for future research on GenAI in marketing, divided into two main domains. The first domain focuses on how firms can harness the potential of GenAI throughout the innovation process. We begin by discussing how GenAI changes consumer behavior and propose research questions at the consumer level. We then connect these emerging consumer insights with corresponding firm marketing strategies, presenting research questions at the firm level. The second set of research questions examines the likely consequences of using GenAI to analyze: (1) the relationship between market-based assets and firm value, and (2) consumer skills, preferences, and role in marketing processes.