Marketing is at an inflection point. Artificial intelligence could be a catalyst to accelerate growth or quietly undermine it. The same technology that opens up new sources of creativity and innovation can also present a fundamental risk: a narrow focus on productivity that could cut budgets, erode marketing’s influence, and limit its impact on business value. How CMOs drive the AI agenda will determine whether marketing will be reduced to a cost to contain or elevated as a force multiplier for business growth.
Our new research in collaboration with the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) shows that leading marketers deliver 79% more total shareholder value than their peers – and, for the first time, we can show why. Our findings draw on thousands of historical data points from industry leaders across 11 industries as well as interviews with more than 30 CMOs and CFOs that provide evidence linking creativity, brand strength, and financial performance.
The results send a clear message. Used restrictively, AI can make marketing less expensive: faster content, smaller budgets, smaller teams. Used strategically, it can make marketing indispensable, triggering new growth, higher profitability and greater business value.
As the CMO of a major consumer packaged goods company said: “AI should be viewed through the lens of growth, not through the lens of efficiency. … The future will honor the brave who use it to create, not just optimize.” Another clear finding from our data analysis: When AI is used beyond simply increasing speed and reducing costs, businesses can unlock more than double the marketing profitability. True value comes from elevating the work: by being more creative, more relevant, and more connected to growth. It requires intention, a clear strategy and bold leadership from marketing.
To take full advantage of AI, marketers need to focus on three things: evidence demonstrating marketing’s role in creating value, senior leadership alliances that build trust by showing how marketing drives business growth, and leadership that resists the temptation to simply cut costs and reap one-time wins and reinvest in profitable growth in the long term.
It comes down to strategic choice. Will your business use AI only to manage marketing costs or invest in growth? The decision rests on how CMOs define the value of marketing to executives.
