In the realm of advertising and PR, evolution isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a necessity. As technology continues to reshape the landscape, agencies are under constant pressure to innovate, adapt, and deliver exceptional results for their clients. Enter Artificial Intelligence (AI), a game-changer that’s revolutionizing how agencies operate and engage with their audiences. Agencies now have access to powerful AI tools that can streamline processes, enhance creativity, and boost ROI. 

Picture this: You’re running an ad/PR agency, juggling multiple campaigns, deadlines, and client demands. Without the aid of AI tools, you’re swimming against the current, battling inefficiencies, and missing out on valuable insights that could propel your agency to new heights. The truth is, in today’s cutthroat environment, not embracing AI is akin to willingly handicapping your agency’s potential.

Why y-AI, instead of nay?

Firstly, there’s the time sink. Manual tasks that could be automated eat away at precious hours that could be better spent on strategic planning and creative brainstorming. Then there’s the data dilemma. In a world where information is king, agencies without AI tools find themselves drowning in data without a life raft. Without the ability to analyze and derive actionable insights from this data, agencies risk missing the mark with their campaigns and falling short of client expectations.

Let’s not forget about agility. In an industry where trends shift at lightning speed and consumer preferences evolve overnight, agility is non-negotiable. AI tools provide agencies with the flexibility they need to pivot strategies on the fly, optimize campaigns in real-time, and capitalize on emerging opportunities before the competition even knows they exist. For example, here are some key benefits global organizations hope to achieve with the adoption of AI as of 2024: 

But fear not, dear agency folks, for there is a beacon of hope amidst the chaos: accessible AI tools. These digital allies are here to streamline your processes, supercharge your creativity, and elevate your agency to new heights of success. From automated ad creation platforms to predictive analytics software, the possibilities are endless. For this criteria, we looked at 1) features useful for ad agencies, 2) how reasonable the price is for your business, 3) customer support, 4) how easy it is to use. Let’s dive into it. 

Here Are 11 AI Tools That Every Agency Should Consider Integrating Into Their Workflow:

1. Allfred.io:

Crafted by agency professionals for agency professionals, Allfred.io stands as a beacon among AI-powered tools tailored for advertising agencies. Born from the practical demands of agency life, this comprehensive solution offers specialized features, starting with automated Proposals and Budgeting, through interactive Resource Planning up to integrated Project Management and one-click Time Tracking, Allfred gives agency teams the right tools to make the process simple and efficient to deliver agencies more profit. 

Allfred  incorporates AI implementations to streamline various tasks within your agency. With features like OCR (Optical Character Recognition), Allfred is able to extract any uploaded invoice automatically, significantly reducing time. Also offers automation of processes and real-time integrated financial and project data, allowing for better business decisions and increased profitability.

Pricing 

Allfred is one of the most affordable software tools. Starting at €8/monthly per user for the package plan focused on Resource Planning & Time Tracking or plan for Budgeting.

Account management & finance suite starts at €19/monthly per user and the premium package All-in-one Ad Agency backbone including custom integrations costs from €24/monthly per user. A 14-day free trial is available to use. 

2. Kontentino:

Agencies looking to optimize their social media management should check out Kontentino. Their AI tool, aptly named kAI, assists in content planning and scheduling, ensuring your social media strategy is on point. With features like automated scheduling based on audience engagement patterns and content performance predictions, Kontentino can help digital agencies streamline their content creation process and maximize their social media impact. Additional bonus is the ability to provide direct feedback from clients and the progress status of each post. 

Pricing

The Starter plan begins at €49 per month for 3 users, offering all the essential tools for social media automation. The Standard plan, starting at €109 per month, includes additional social media profiles and The Pro plan, at €199 per month, provides an all-inclusive suite of SM tools for larger teams. Lastly, there’s a tailor-made Enterprise option. There is a free trial available for 14 days.

3. Midjourney:

This AI-powered platform utilizes natural language descriptions, termed prompts, to generate images. Positioned within the AI surge, it represents a pivotal technology in this evolving landscape. For ad agencies specifically, Midjourney can help greatly in idea exploration when it comes to visual concepts and ideas. Some creatives utilize it for making their story boards come to life for a better visualization and understanding when presenting to clients. 

Pricing

Midjourney has four different subscription plans available, starting with the Basic plan at $10 /monthly. Following is the Standard plan costing $30 per month and the Pro plan priced at $90 /monthly. Lastly, there is a mega plan for $120 /monthly.

4. Stable DiffusionAI:

Creative agencies can benefit from Stable DefusionAI, an AI tool that generates dynamic visual content. By analyzing trends, audience preferences, and brand guidelines, Stable DefusionAI can create visually stunning assets such as graphics, videos, and animations tailored to specific campaigns. This allows creative agencies to produce high-quality content at scale, saving time and resources while maintaining brand consistency.

Pricing

Unlike the other AI tools on the list so far, Stable Diffusion AI offers buying credits as opposed to a subscription-based system. To start off, you receive 25 free credits to use. After that, paying $10 translates to about 1,000 credits which then can be used to compute images. 

5. Semrush:

To stay competitive, it’s essential to keep an eye on what your competitors are doing. AI-powered competitor analysis tools can provide valuable insights into their strategies, allowing you to adapt and innovate accordingly. For example, tools like Semrush use AI algorithms to analyze competitor websites, keywords, and ad campaigns, helping agencies identify opportunities and gaps in the market.

Pricing

Semrush offers 3 different plans, starting at $129.95/monthly for a Pro package with the capacity of 5 projects. The Guru plan starts at $249.95/ monthly and is tailored for mid-sized businesses and agencies. The last package called Business consists of 40 projects and costs $499.95/monthly. 

6. Trello:

Sometimes, the simplest tools are the most effective. AI-powered list-making tools can help organize tasks, deadlines, and priorities, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks. Platforms like Trello use AI algorithms to prioritize tasks based on urgency, importance, and deadlines, allowing agencies to manage their projects more efficiently.

Pricing

There is a free version available for individuals or small teams. To scale up, there is a Standard plan for $5/monthly per user. For teams that need to track and visualize multiple projects in several ways, Trello offers a Premium package for $10/monthly per user. Lastly, the package Enterprise is tailored to organizations that need to connect across teams with more security and controls for $17.50/monthly per 50 users. 

7. Albert:

AI-driven platforms can generate ad creatives based on your specifications and target audience, saving time and resources while maintaining quality. For example, platforms like Albert use AI algorithms to analyze audience data and trends, automatically generating ad variations optimized for performance across different channels and formats.

Pricing

Albert AI offers pricing details upon request. 

8. Pecan AI:

Leveraging AI for predictive analytics can help agencies forecast trends, customer behavior, and campaign performance with greater accuracy, enabling more informed decision-making. Tools like Google Analytics or IBM Watson Analytics use AI algorithms to analyze historical data and identify patterns, allowing agencies to anticipate market changes and optimize their strategies accordingly.

Pricing

There are 3 different packages available starting at $950/monthly for a Starter plan with 250k of monthly predictions, 20 monthly trained models and in-app support. Secondly, they offer a business package priced at $1,750/month with 600k monthly predictions, 40 monthly trained models and a customer success specialist in terms of support. Lastly, Enterprise offers a custom price for custom settings. This is a quite pricey option so it might be best suitable for larger corporations. 

9. MonkeyLearn:

NLP-powered tools can analyze and understand human language, making them invaluable for tasks like sentiment analysis, content optimization, and customer feedback analysis. For example, tools like MonkeyLearn use NLP algorithms to analyze customer reviews, social media comments, and other text data, providing insights into customer sentiment and preferences.

Pricing

MonkeyLearn AI offers pricing details upon request. 

10. ClarifAI:

AI-powered image recognition software can automate tasks like tagging, categorizing, and searching through vast image libraries, enhancing efficiency and organization. For example, tools like Clarifai use AI algorithms to analyze image content and metadata, allowing agencies to quickly find and organize visual assets for their campaigns.

Pricing

ClarifAI has a free version available for unlimited time. To scale up, they offer usage-based pricing for customers starting at $30 in monthly credits with a bunch of different benefits – image & video inputs, 2 applications in the data store, unlimited concepts and support. This plan is tailored to businesses ramping with AI. A more advanced package for professionals starts at $300 in monthly credits with unlimited options. 

11.DetermAI:

In the world of PR, AI-powered tools can aid significantly with media monitoring and analysis, audience segmentation and targeting or content creation. For example, a tool like Determ helps organizations track, measure, and create resorts on their media presence. It provides precise data and metrics to help users prove the value and ROI of their PR efforts as well as monitors over 100 million media sources 24/7 to track mentions and coverage relevant to the user. 

Pricing

Determ offers 3 different plans – Plus, Premium and Multibrand. Each plan includes unlimited users, unlimited keywords, online and social media monitoring, reports, real-time and spike alerts, and more. The pricing for each of these plans is individual upon request. 

Better Late Than Never

Remember, the key to success in the digital age is not just adopting new technologies but also leveraging them effectively. By integrating these AI tools into their workflow, advertising, digital, and creative agencies can enhance efficiency, creativity, and ultimately, client satisfaction. And don’t forget to stay updated on the latest developments in AI, as innovation in this field is constant and rapid. It may feel daunting dwelling into the world of AI head-first but it has many more advantages for you waiting on the other side. 

*Bonus Tip*: If you’re interested in diving deeper into the topic of AI in advertising, be sure to check out the recent episode of the GYDA podcast featuring the CEO of Allfred, where they discuss the transformative power of AI in the industry.

More Allfred resources: