Can the creative process be performed by a computer? Apparently so, at least for simple Web ads. Two new California companies, Adisn of Long Beach and Tumri of Mountain View, are pioneering this new method. They create ads on the fly based on visitors’ surfing behavior, Web page content or the behavioral, contextual or demographic criteria the advertiser is already using. They can create hundreds of versions of clients’ online ads, including swapping different colors, typefaces, messages and images to see what combination works best on a particular site or for a particular audience.

At first this may seem scary to a creative. We’ve believed for years that, even though robots could replace assembly line workers, they could never replace writers or artists. Could they? Rather than being scary, this actually gives creative types another tool to make even better ads. Now you can get almost immediate feedback on what works and what doesn’t. You can get real results. I’m all for that, because learning what works the best makes you a better creative.

Check out the article for more information.

Web Marketing That Hopes to Learn What Attracts a Click
NY Times, Dec. 3, 2008