This paper aims to investigate how startups can transform digital marketing activities based on a linear, campaign-based sequence into an adaptive system of continuous feedback loops by integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and behavioural design. Through an in-depth case study of a fitness startup, referred to as BulK (a pseudonym used to preserve anonymity), we explore how the synergy between AI-driven automation and psychological principles enables more dynamic, personalized, and responsive marketing strategies.
The research adopts a qualitative, exploratory case study approach. Data were collected over eight months through semi-structured interviews with five core team members (chief executive officer, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), content and performance managers), complemented by internal documentation, growth dashboards and observation of marketing experiments.
BulK exemplifies a new model of marketing strategy that combines AI-powered automation with validated psychological principles. Its cross-functional growth engine – structured around the AARRR framework – is supported by adaptive tools (e.g. GPT-based chat and behaviour-triggered flows) and behavioural design (e.g. Fogg's model and Cialdini's principles). The company's approach shifts marketing from linear campaigns to a system of continuous feedback loops.
As a single-case study, the findings are context-specific but offer rich, transferable insights. Future research should expand the theoretical integration between AI and behavioural marketing and investigate the replicability of such systems in larger or more regulated contexts.
This paper contributes a novel framework that synthesizes three fragmented streams of literature – AI in marketing, behavioural influence and startup growth tactics – through a real-world case. It positions startups not only as users of marketing technology but as laboratories for conceptual innovation.
