Most companies have embedded AI in their marketing functions and CMO’s fluency — their ability to use artificial intelligence to solve problems — is driving business value and increasing their influence over corporate decision-making and strategy, according to a report from Infosys.
Also, Infosys found that while most CMOs are engaging in AI across all their main marketing activities, almost half (48%) of AI deployments struggle to deliver business value.
This is based on a survey conducted by the Infosys Knowledge Institute, polling 2,600 marketing leaders across industries from Australia, Germany, the Nordics, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The report categorises CMOs as Leaders (13%), Learners (60%) or Laggards (27%) in AI fluency, based on their ability to deliver business value from AI across multiple marketing activities.
The report also identifies that AI-fluent CMOs make data-driven decisions using predictive AI to anticipate customer needs, personalise and optimise campaigns, and boost marketing performance. They are also able to better use generative AI to bring together value from data, industry expertise, and creative execution to build stronger capabilities, inside-out, within their teams.
Further, the research explores the adoption of AI across the marketing lifecycle including for activities such as content creation, conversational agents, sales enablement, personalisation, campaign management and analytics.
Findings show that 96% of marketing leaders have deployed AI in at least one marketing activity; 52% of AI marketing deployments generate business value; 30% of marketing leaders have deployed AI in all seven key marketing activities; and 62% of CMOs are set to grow their influence over strategic corporate decisions.
The study found that marketing leaders expect AI to deliver measurable value in the next 18 months, including double-digit percentage point boosts in productivity (15 percentage points), cost savings (13 percentage points), and speed to market (11 percentage points).
Infosys outlines four tactics that Leaders in AI fluency employ to generate business value from their AI deployments — embed AI solutions into business and marketing processes; align AI, business, and marketing strategies; factor risk management into AI-powered marketing solutions; and ensure the MarTech stack is scalable and optimized for AI use cases.
Satish H C, EVP and chief delivery officer at Infosys, said the findings of the report point to how forward-thinking marketing leaders are adjusting to this new landscape.
“Central to this transformation is the reimagining of marketing end to end, embracing a holistic approach to innovation,” he said. “By focusing on disintermediation for agility, businesses can swiftly adapt to changes and enhance their competitive edge.”
