Lufthansa partners with IBM Watson for AI-driven advertising

Lufthansa is claiming a first with the launch of an advertising campaign using artificial intelligence from IBM Watson Ads.

The initiative, which is part of Lufthansa’s ‘SayYesToTheWorld’ brand campaign, serves up interactive ads enabling consumers to ask the airline questions and find out more on 15 destinations across Europe.

Users can also access a destination explorer with local tips, images and videos to help them discover the different cities, and the option to book flights.

The AI-driven ads are available across Lufthansa’s digital advertising as well as on weather.com and the weather channel application.

The airline provides content to the ad which can then interact with users using natural language. The ad also gather insight to help inform future marketing initiatives.

Emirates Vacations unveiled a similar initiative with its chatbot ads earlier this year.

The company partnered with WayBlazer to communicate with consumers through display and make recommendations for trips.

Emirates said at the time that the ads resulted in an 87% engagement lift compared to traditional display advertising.

WayBlazer, which licensed IBM Watson technology for its recommendations engine, announced in July that it intended to close. The company said lack of funds had driven the decision.