A hybrid of AI and human creativity: Marketing, PR, and Innovation Leaders of Cases&Faces 2025
Digital transformation has redefined marketing, advertising, and PR, making them more personalized, automated, and measurable. According to McKinsey, companies implementing innovations achieved up to 40% higher ROI last year, and the first quarter of 2025 confirms that cutting-edge solutions in this field are taking digital transformation to new levels and driving global business growth.
This topic became one of the most actively discussed at the annual business awards Cases&Faces 2025, held on March 9. The global event consists of two logically connected parts – the awards ceremony and the conference. The first recognizes professionals’ achievements in various fields – science, entrepreneurship, management, education, and digital technologies- while the second provides an opportunity to meet with experts, share developments, and discuss industry trends. Together, the event becomes a unique platform for business development, the emergence of new leaders, projects, and collaborations, as well as a testing ground for ideas and strategies. The organizers and key partners ensure the high status of the award – developer of high-quality, innovative software products Crazy Unicorns (USA), Neuron Expert Corporation, leader in AI and blockchain integration, one of the world’s largest PR agencies for guaranteed media coverage ExpertizeMe, premium event planning for adults TCA.events, and Flex Fuel Meals, healthy meal delivery service, official lunch and coffee break partner.
Theory and Practice
This time, a series of speeches and panel discussions at the business conference were dedicated to leadership and innovation in business. Over 200 participants discussed technologies for life and business, including AI, blockchain, and AR/VR, and their role in shaping new industry standards – from using AI in marketing and selling educational products or real estate to avoiding price competition and differences in marketing approaches across countries.
“Networking and recognition at Cases&Faces genuinely contribute to industry progress,” says jury member Alexandr Voronkov (Genadinik) (Indonesia), International investor and founder of the investment club Capital. “And the value of such an exchange of opinions is in operating with extensive practical experience.” The evolution of digital marketing, PR, and advertising is demonstrated through vivid examples of companies using innovations to maintain leading positions in highly competitive environments.
For example, Alisa Goliampolska (USA), an AI Marketing Specialist with expertise in digital marketing, automation, and data-driven strategies, recognized as Innovator of the Year at Cases&Faces 2025, developed a proprietary AI-driven system integrating advanced analytics, automation, and predictive modeling to optimize marketing campaigns and investment opportunities – this approach enhances audience targeting and decision-making. In the same category, Kseniia Pereshliuga (USA), Founder of NailMentor and owner of Alismia LLC, specializing in AI-powered automation for the beauty industry, created NailMentor Pro, a platform integrating AI-driven client retention, automated booking, and training programs, which was implemented across CIS countries and expanded into the U.S.
Mohammad Abbasi (USA), awarded Executive of the Year in the Advertising, Marketing, & Public Relations subcategory, Founder of Alfa 77, an educational project training 2,000+ specialists, developed a targeting system used in 15 countries, reducing customer acquisition costs by 20%, increasing ROI by 80%, improving local business attendance by 30% per month, and boosting e-Commerce conversion rates by 25% through optimized audience segmentation. The winner in the same category was Mykyta Khytsiuk (USA), Global Commercial Director at Carolina Logistics Inc., overseeing cross-border truckload operations between Mexico, the U.S., and Canada. Through AI-driven pricing integration, he optimized freight rate predictions and carrier negotiations.
Adapting to Innovations
The sustainable development of successful businesses today directly depends on digital transformation. Those who flexibly adapt to new technologies and key trends come on top. The Achievement in Technology Innovation category showed impressive examples of this approach. Venkata Ramaiah Turlapati (USA), SAP Architect at IMG Systems Inc., specializing in Billing and Revenue Systems transformation, leads AI-driven SAP BRIM integrations to enhance business adaptability. He implemented AI-powered automation, reducing errors and saving millions through optimized billing solutions. Alisa Novik (USA), Senior Software Engineer at Oracle with expertise in FinTech and HealthTech, implemented the seamless integration of the corporate ERP with AI-powered scoring models hosted on Microsoft Azure ML for credit risk evaluation, driving multimillion-dollar revenue growth.
“Among the innovations defining the industry today are AI media monitoring and automated programmatic advertising using AI algorithms for real-time data analysis,” explains jury member Viktoriia Lezhanina, Finance and audit professional with 25+ years of experience in financial consulting, risk assessment, and auditing. “AI already generates thousands of variants for specific users, and major platforms test creatives showing only the most effective ones, ultimately increasing engagement through hyper-personalization while minimizing manual setup costs.” Neural networks – ChatGPT, Midjourney, and DALL·E – are actively used everywhere for creating texts, images, videos, and audio, with AI generating content from financial news summaries to advertising campaigns. Certainly, there are risks – “soulless” AI-generated content remains noticeable to most consumers. But there’s a solution – applying a hybrid approach where humans add emotions and edit AI-generated drafts.
“Social media algorithms have become more important than traditional media, and microblogging has become a success factor in promotion,” asserts Yana Pidhorna (USA), Founder & CEO of Easy Beauty Space, a modern beauty studio specializing in high-quality nail services, winner of the Best Entrepreneur award.
Contextual data-driven marketing actively analyzes user behavior, whether purchases, search queries, or geolocation, to form the basis for targeted product and service offerings. Mobile applications now consider order history and weather to suggest promotions, while major marketplace algorithms predict choices based on views, cart contents, and time of day.
A striking example of focusing on CRM system implementation, strengthening customer relationships, and stimulating business growth was presented by Artem Pavlov (USA), CEO of Global Expert Of Development, specializing in marketing, CRM, and client acquisition, who was awarded Best Entrepreneur. He developed the Innovative Marketing for Business project, integrating advanced market analysis and technology-driven strategies to optimize financial performance. Among the winners in this category was also Ilia Guzhin, Owner and Chief Development Manager of ESCAPER, a sportswear manufacturing company, who expanded the company from a small workshop to an international business with manufacturing facilities in multiple countries.
AI and Humans – The Perfect Tandem
These and other trends were reflected in the work of award participants – over 1,000 applications in over 170 categories were submitted from 14 countries, including the USA, UAE, Russia, Canada, and others. The international jury consisted of experts in various fields. “Our evaluation criteria included innovativeness, practical value, unique experience, and potential industry impact,” says one of them, Igor Parinov (USA), an entrepreneur specializing in AI-powered call centers and CEO of TARK AI.
These qualities were demonstrated by Mykhailo Karpenko (USA), awarded for Achievement in International Expansion. As Development Team Leader at CDW Corporation, overseeing IT solutions for enterprises, government agencies, and healthcare, he contributed to international expansion across North America and Europe. At CDW, which serves 250,000+ organizations with $21B in annual revenue, he leads initiatives in cloud solutions, cybersecurity, and digital transformation for corporate and public sector clients.
Certainly, there remain many “bottlenecks” in this finely-tuned industry. For example, Predictive Analytics or Customer Data Platform technologies may provoke privacy issues. Clear ethical rules, copyright questions, and unified regulations are still not established. There remains a shortage of qualified personnel. These challenges remain to be worked on.
The main trend of 2025 is obvious: Marketing today represents a hybrid of AI and human creativity, and those who find the perfect balance between automation and authenticity come out on top.