David A. Steinberg, co-founder and CEO of Zeta Global, highlights how agentic AI is reshaping marketing by enabling brands to deliver highly personalized campaigns efficiently. Zeta’s AI-powered Marketing Cloud automates workflows and messaging, aiming to make customer interactions feel like conversations with a trusted friend, all based on quality data.
Steinberg explains that combining multiple AI agents—each handling aspects like creative selection, audience building, targeting, and real-time attribution—yields exponential improvements in campaign performance. This agent collaboration allows for smarter, more effective marketing strategies.
Regarding human involvement, Steinberg notes flexibility: brands can choose full automation or maintain varying degrees of human oversight. Some clients prefer automated execution with human review and feedback loops from AI agents to refine decision-making.
To thrive in this evolving landscape, marketers need advanced analytical skills and a strong grasp of data. While AI assists with execution, agencies must continue managing client relationships, product sales, and creative content development, supporting the shift toward outcome-driven marketing.
When balancing personalization and privacy, Steinberg advocates for subtle, natural marketing that builds trust without overwhelming consumers. He compares effective marketing to meaningful social interactions by sharing relevant interests rather than intrusive personal data.
Looking ahead, Steinberg emphasizes that Zeta is advancing its AI capabilities. The recent launch of Zeta Answers integrates their AI agents into an intelligence framework that not only predicts but autonomously acts on insights, delivering real-time business outcomes. The company plans continued innovation throughout the year to expand AI-driven marketing solutions.