Marketers have rapidly embraced artificial intelligence, but new research suggests most companies are still waiting to see significant returns from their investments.
A Bain study of 1,397 senior marketing and finance executives found that 95% of marketing organisations have adopted AI tools, yet only 6% said AI is currently delivering a significant impact on performance.
Marketers went all in on AI. Now they’re waiting for the payoff
Bain found a notable difference among companies it classified as “leaders” — businesses recording more than 11% annual revenue growth and more than 7% annual market-share growth. These companies were twice as likely as “laggards” to attribute double-digit revenue growth or cost savings to AI initiatives.
According to Bain, successful companies are centralising their AI strategies, restructuring teams and workflows, and focusing on customer-oriented applications such as using first-party data to generate insights and personalise marketing.
Separate research by Dentsu Creative found that 70% of 1,950 senior marketing decision-makers surveyed had yet to see major cost efficiencies from AI.
The gap between adoption and financial results extends beyond marketing. A PwC survey found that 56% of CEOs reported neither higher revenue nor lower costs from AI during the previous year.
Meanwhile, AI is changing marketing roles, with companies increasingly seeking employees capable of managing multiple functions rather than narrow specialists. Bain expects more organisations to see meaningful returns as these restructuring efforts develop.
