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Afnan Khan, a London-based Pakistani, is deeply involved in image recognition research within the realm of UK advertising. Specialising in Marketing and Performance Analytics, Khan works as a Marketing Intelligence Analyst at a Financial Media company. His current focus is on understanding how image recognition influences marketing strategies, especially for targeting the millennial audience in the United Kingdom.
Khan’s research highlights a significant trend: the growing use of personalised ads tailored to match the interests and behaviours of millennials. According to recent studies by eMarketer, over 70% of millennials respond positively to such targeted advertising, indicating a notable shift in marketing dynamics.
Drawing from his expertise, Khan emphasises the importance of analysing social media images to precisely target this demographic. However, he also acknowledges challenges ahead, particularly regarding privacy concerns and algorithm fairness. According to findings from YouGov, over 60% of millennials express worries about their online privacy.
Khan’s journey in Machine Learning and AI-based technologies started during his Marketing Analytics degree at the University of Stirling. Here, he completed a consultancy project with Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park authority, crafting an algorithm to optimise the KPIs of their Project Partnership Plan 2018-2023, laying the foundation for his current research.
Looking ahead, Khan envisions a future where augmented reality and multi-modal approaches redefine advertising for millennials. Referring to projections from Statista, Khan highlights a 30% increase in augmented reality ad spending by 2025, reflecting a growing demand for immersive ad experiences among millennials.
Besides image recognition, Khan is engaged in various other research projects, including algorithms for fraud detection in digital marketing, AI-powered dynamic pricing strategies, and the utilisation of clustering algorithms in the segregated European Market.
As Khan’s research progresses towards completion in December 2024, it promises valuable insights for shaping marketing strategies tailored to the UK millennial audience.
