The use of artificial intelligence as a new approach in digital advertising: A content analysis on artificial intelligence-powered ads

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology, widely recognized as ushering in a new era, is driving significant transformations across numerous fields, including the advertising industry. This study examines how AI-powered digital advertising content differs from traditional digital advertising and in what ways they are similar, using content analysis methods. Content analysis, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the study, and six AI-powered advertising films from different sectors were analyzed. The analysis process was conducted under ten headings: sales or promotion focus, areas of AI use, target audience compatibility, gender representations, narrative structure, use of time, emotional tone, and social media interaction. The findings show that AI-supported advertisements are largely designed to be promotional and that there are some shortcomings in terms of target audience alignment. In addition, social media interaction rates were found to be lower than those of traditional digital advertisements. Although a certain diversity was presented in terms of gender representations, it was observed that gender stereotypes persisted in some content. It was determined that the narrative structure of the advertisements was generally coherent, while the concept of time was mostly addressed in a time-independent manner. This study aims to contribute to the literature and advertising practices by providing an academic perspective on artificial intelligence-supported digital advertising content. Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Digital Advertising, Digitalization, Content Analytics,Advertising