Contents
As of July 2026, three moves from Gap, OpenAI and Lowe’s signal that content marketing is shifting from creating content to maximize reach toward serving the right context, the right people and the right business goals. For Vietnamese marketers, the common thread is that content is moving closer to owned media strategy, creator partnerships and AI-driven operations rather than sitting apart from them.
Gap is bringing AI into owned channels to align content across its brand ecosystem
According to Marketing Dive, Gap is bringing AI into its owned marketing channels across multiple brands in its portfolio. This approach shows that the retailer is not using AI only at the individual creative stage, but is integrating it into multi-channel content operations to support more consistent communications.
From a content marketing perspective, this is a notable move because owned channels such as websites, email, apps or content on brand platforms are often where identity and messaging are expressed most clearly. When AI is brought into those channels, the goal is not simply to speed up production, but also to improve personalization, optimize messaging at each touchpoint and raise the performance of the content ecosystem.
What matters for marketers is that AI in owned channels should not be understood only as a tool for writing faster. Its real value lies in helping brands organize content more structurally, respond more flexibly to customer behavior and maintain consistency across multiple brands or segments at the same time.
Source: Marketing Dive – Gap brings AI to owned marketing channels across brand portfolio
OpenAI begins redefining ChatGPT ads through “super intentional” users
At Cannes, OpenAI shared more about how it views advertising on ChatGPT, emphasizing the “super intentional” user group — people who are proactive and have clear goals when interacting with the tool. According to Marketing Dive, this is how OpenAI is positioning the advertising context around ChatGPT, rather than treating it as a traditional mass-display environment.
For content marketing, this is a very important signal: when users enter a conversational AI environment, they are usually not passively browsing but looking for answers, suggestions or specific options. That means brand content appearing there must be useful, contextually relevant and highly supportive rather than simply attention-grabbing.
The key point to analyze is that the future of advertising content in AI environments will depend heavily on how well it matches users’ immediate needs. Marketers therefore need to rethink messaging, format and the role of content: instead of trying to force its way into the journey, content must become a useful part of that journey.
Source: Marketing Dive – What defines ChatGPT ads? ‘Super intentional’ users, OpenAI tells Cannes
Lowe’s wants creators in its network to pitch product ideas
Marketing Dive reports that Lowe’s is encouraging content creators in its network to pitch product ideas. This is a notable approach because the brand is not only treating creators as a distribution channel or promoters, but also as a source of input for product innovation.
In content marketing, this model expands the creator’s role from “storyteller” to “co-creator” alongside the brand. When creators understand their communities, they can provide practical insight into end users’ needs, language and expectations. For a retail brand like Lowe’s, that can be a major advantage in spotting new demand earlier and creating products that are more likely to be embraced.
Read more: Meta Narrows the Gap with OpenAI: What It Means for the AI Ad Race
This trend also shows that content marketing is becoming increasingly tied to product strategy. Content is no longer just there to support sales after a product launches; it is involved from the idea stage. For marketers, this is a reminder that the creator economy is not only a media story, but can also be part of business innovation.
Source: Marketing Dive – Why Lowe’s wants content creators in its network to pitch product ideas
Content must connect owned media, creators and search journeys
These three stories all point to one common theme: content is moving closer to the core operations of the business, rather than sitting only at the communications layer. For Vietnamese brands, this opens up three areas worth considering.
First, AI should be seen as an infrastructure layer for owned media, not just a tool for helping write articles. Websites, email, CRM content and in-app content can be optimized more effectively if the right data and editorial processes are in place.
Second, when working with creators, brands should think beyond short-term review campaigns or bookings. Creators can become a source of insight, a co-creator of ideas or a product-testing partner, especially in retail, FMCG, beauty and technology.
Third, as conversational AI develops, content that is “right on time, right for the need” will be more valuable than content optimized only for views. Vietnamese marketers need to prepare for a period in which being recommended, cited or integrated by AI into the information-search journey will become a new part of content strategy.
In other words, content marketing in the coming year may compete not only on the quality of the copy, but also on the intelligence of the system behind the content.
Explore more marketing analysis & guides at Marketing365.
Follow more updates from Marketing365 to stay up to date with the latest marketing trends.
Read more articles in the same category Digital Trends.
References
- Gap brings AI to owned marketing channels across brand portfolio
- What defines ChatGPT ads? ‘Super intentional’ users, OpenAI tells Cannes
- Why Lowe’s wants content creators in its network to pitch product ideas
