Survey by Iterable and Wakefield Research Finds Strong Adoption in AI Marketing Solutions

Next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) has remade most functions in today’s enterprises. It has changed the way companies and customers interact, and it has automated a variety of complex operations protocols and administrative tasks.

And today, it’s also altering the way marketers market.

AI customer communications platform Iterable (together with Wakefield Research) recently released the results of new survey designed to reveal the ways AI is transforming marketing roles, strategies and the customer experience from the perspective of marketing professionals in the U.S., EMEA and Australia. The survey found that that AI adoption among marketers:  99% of those surveyed indicated that they are currently using AI on a daily basis in some capacity, with 91% of marketers currently using AI in their jobs.

However, there is room to grow; particularly when it comes to training in AI solutions, rules and regulations and finding solutions to support AI initiatives. There are also concerns about how best to determine the return on investment (ROI) of AI solutions.

Analyzing data across geographies, the research found that, despite widespread initial adoption of AI, unlocking its full potential requires marketers to explore broader AI applications, have significantly more training, and access better AI solutions.

Thanks to the recent and rapid advancements in AI, the marketing landscape has experienced a dramatic transformation. The survey sheds light on the extent to which marketers are actively adopting and experimenting with AI, particularly generative AI (GenAI), on the job (91%). Notably, a substantial majority of marketers (67%) view AI as more than just a tool for efficiency and productivity; they see it as a technological revolution.

However, despite widespread enthusiasm, almost half of marketers (49%) find AI intimidating, citing heightened expectations (54%) and the challenge of meeting new compliance or regulatory standards (49%) as primary sources of this intimidation, as well as raising concerns among marketing professionals about the necessity of learning AI technology to stay competitive.

A substantial 89% are at least somewhat concerned about the need to acquire AI skills to maintain their value as marketers, according to the study, and 28% are extremely concerned. Surprisingly, only 48% of marketing teams are fully trained, highlighting a noticeable gap between excitement and empowerment in the industry.