According to Fast Company, 52% of SEO professionals report AI has already improved their on-page performance in 2025 based on BrightEdge research. L’Oréal made headlines in June 2025 for scaling generative content through its CREAITECH lab, where campaigns that previously took weeks to produce and localize across 20 markets now take just hours. This shift has driven a 22% boost in media efficiency and a 14% lift in campaign effectiveness for the beauty giant. Mark Lallemand, CMO of Western Europe at L’Oréal, stated at ShopTalk Europe that this “isn’t experimentation anymore” and they’re “building with AI at the core of brand interactions.” Agencies are using AI tools to spot opportunities and problems almost instantly rather than waiting weeks for traditional SEO results.
Speed changes everything
Here’s the thing about what’s happening right now. This isn’t about AI being smarter than human strategists. It’s about speed. The old SEO model was basically a waiting game – you’d make changes, then wait weeks to see if anything moved. Now agencies are using AI to run continuous audits, spot broken links, and refine CTAs in real time. That changes the entire tempo of digital marketing. When you can test and iterate that quickly, the learning cycles accelerate dramatically. And honestly, who wouldn’t want to move faster when the competition isn’t?
L’Oréal’s playbook
L’Oréal’s case is particularly interesting because they’re not just dabbling. They’ve built an entire CREAITECH lab and are putting AI at the center of their global marketing strategy. Think about what going from weeks to hours means for a company operating in 20 markets. The localization alone would traditionally be a nightmare. Now they’re achieving 22% better media efficiency and 14% more effective campaigns. That’s the kind of numbers that get CEOs excited. It shows we’re past the experimental phase and into serious business transformation.
Where this is heading
So what does this mean for agencies and brands? Basically, the bar just got higher. If your competitors are moving this fast and you’re still doing things the old way, you’re going to get left behind. The research from BrightEdge shows this isn’t theoretical – over half of SEO pros are already seeing real improvements. And with more AI SEO statistics emerging, the evidence keeps growing. The companies that will win are the ones treating AI as a core capability rather than a nice-to-have experiment. Just like L’Oréal is doing, they’re building it into their DNA.
