The AI Revolution: What Advertising’s Upheaval Means for Singapore SMEs

By The Javious Team

Company perspective: method and playbook for effective marketing

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the advertising landscape rapidly, creating unprecedented opportunities for Singapore SMEs to compete and grow in an increasingly dynamic market. Industry leaders and recent reports highlight how AI is reshaping advertising, and support is available to help businesses harness these powerful changes.

AI’s Game-Changing Impact on Advertising
Industry giants like WPP and Publicis acknowledge that AI is fundamentally disrupting advertising. Mark Read, outgoing CEO of WPP, shared:
“AI disruption is unnerving investors in every industry, and it’s totally disrupting our business.” This disruption is not futuristic speculation but a current reality. Generative AI tools such as DALL-E, Midjourney, and Google’s Veo can create campaign assets in seconds, a process that traditionally took weeks. Over 60% of U.S. agencies already use AI tools, with another 31% actively exploring adoption, according to Forrester.

AI has become a core strategic need for businesses worldwide, reshaping how marketers operate and how brands connect with audiences. It powers dynamic ads that adapt in real-time to individual user profiles and predicts next-best actions for hyper-personalized customer journeys. Across regions, marketers prioritize AI for campaign personalization and optimization, recognizing its transformative potential for customer engagement and operational efficiency.

Why AI Matters for Singapore SMEs
AI levels the playing field, offering SMEs access to capabilities once reserved for large corporations:

• Personalized Campaigns: AI enables precise tailoring of ads to customer preferences, driving higher engagement and conversion rates through hyper-personalization.
  
  

• Fast Content Creation: High-quality visuals and copy can be generated quickly, saving valuable time and reducing costs.
  
  

• Data-Driven Insights: AI analyzes customer behavior and campaign performance to craft smarter, more effective marketing strategies.
  
  

• Cost Efficiency: Repetitive tasks can be automated, maximizing marketing ROI with fewer resources.
  
  

Challenges to Consider
While AI offers exciting benefits, SMEs need to be mindful of challenges:

• Skill Gaps: Many SMEs lack in-house AI expertise, which requires training or external support to bridge the gap.
  
  

• Consumer Trust: A Gartner survey reveals that 82% of consumers prioritize human jobs, highlighting the importance of maintaining authentic human connections alongside AI-driven marketing. Additionally, privacy concerns and ethical use of personalization data must be addressed through transparency, opt-in mechanisms, and accessible privacy settings.
  
  

Conclusion: Embrace AI to Unlock Growth
AI is no longer just a supplementary tool. It has become the central axis of modern advertising, revolutionizing the industry and offering tremendous growth potential and competitive advantage to Singapore SMEs. As Mark Read noted, AI will reduce some traditional roles but transform existing ones and create new opportunities. The future of advertising lies in balancing AI-driven efficiency and personalization with authentic human engagement.

References: 

1. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/15/how-ai-is-disrupting-the-advertising-industry.html  

2. https://www.bandt.com.au/wpp-ceo-mark-read-ai-efficiencies-will-lead-to-fewer-jobs-in-advertising/

3. https://lbbonline.com/news/Mark-Read-Says-AI-Will-Reduce-Advertising-Jobs-but-Create-New-Ones

4. https://gradientgroup.com/outgoing-wpp-ceo-mark-read-recently-said-ai-will-upend-the-advertising-workforce/

5. https://advertisingweek.com/how-ai-transformed-advertising-and-what-to-expect-in-2025/

6. https://www.aaaa.org/resource/the-state-of-generative-ai-inside-us-marketing-agencies-2025/

7. https://www.forrester.com/report/the-state-of-generative-ai-inside-us-marketing-agencies-2025/RES184092

8. https://www.okoone.com/spark/strategy-transformation/how-ai-and-data-will-influence-advertising-in-2025/ 

9. https://www.nielsen.com/insights/2025/ai-redefining-marketing-today-tomorrow/ 

10. https://www.rmit.edu.au/online/blog/2025/how-to-prepare-for-the-new-ai-marketing-era

11. https://www.iab.com/news/iab-state-of-data-report-2025/

12. https://observer.co.uk/news/business/article/wpp-advertises-for-new-ceo-amid-ai-disruption

13. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/wpp-martin-sorrell-philip-jansen-ceo-mark-b2766272.html

14. https://professional.dce.harvard.edu/blog/ai-will-shape-the-future-of-marketing/

15. https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/ad-group-wpp-says-mark-read-retire-ceo-end-year-2025-06-09/

16. https://iabeurope.eu/knowledge_hub/the-impact-of-ai-on-digital-advertising-report/

17. https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2025/06/09/wpp-chief-steps-down-as-advertising-group-struggles-with-rise-of-ai/

18. https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/10-eye-opening-ai-marketing-stats-in-2025

19. https://www.campaignlive.com/article/mark-read-calls-wpp-media-restructure-disruptive-necessary/1928391

20. https://gethegoods.com/articles/mark-read-leaving-wpp