Most Companies Deploying AI In Marketing, With A Majority Generating Business Value

Most companies have embedded artificial intelligence in marketing functions, and AI fluency of chief marketing officers is driving business value and increasing their influence over corporate decision-making and strategy, a report from Infosys Knowledge Institute, a research arm of Infosys Ltd., shows.

The survey found that while most CMOs are deploying AI across main marketing activities, 48% of AI deployments struggle to deliver business value. It categorised CMOs as Leaders (13%), Learners (60%) or Laggards (27%) in AI fluency, based on their ability to deliver business value from AI.

AI-fluent CMOs make data-driven decisions using predictive AI to anticipate customer needs, personalise and optimise campaigns, and to boost marketing performance. They also use generative AI to bring together value from data, industry expertise, and creative execution to build stronger capabilities within teams.

The Infosys CMO Radar 2024, which surveyed 2,600 marketing leaders, explores the adoption of AI across the marketing lifecycle, including content creation, conversational agents, sales enablement, personalisation, campaign management and analytics.

Research findings include:

• 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.

• 62% of CMOs are set to grow their influence over strategic corporate decisions.

• Marketing leaders expect AI to deliver measurable value in the next 18 months, including boosts in productivity (15%), cost savings (13%), and speed to market (11%).

The research also found that leading CMOs allow teams to access real-time insights from data and adjust tactics as they roll out their AI implementation plan. They are more likely to have a responsive AI strategy that aligns with both marketing and overall business goals. 

However, 43% of companies still depend on ad-hoc methods of risk mitigation when it comes to AI in marketing. Embedding dedicated risk management can help compliance and build customer trust.

The report also noted that customer data platforms are essential for maximising AI's value in marketing. Advanced cloud-native MarTech stacks with real-time CDPs can improve scalability and data integration, delivering personalised experiences.