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Picture: Merhan Saeed/Pixabay
Picture: Merhan Saeed/Pixabay

An in-depth qualitative study by Kantar,  based on interviews with more than 50 marketing and capability leaders around the world, says Generative AI (Gen AI)  can be a huge help to marketers

The majority of marketers don’t feel prepared for the implementation and integration of Gen AI, however;  a lack of role-specific training and high costs are among the hurdles standing in the way of wider Gen AI adoption in the industry, according to the study.

The study identifies the key challenges and best practices for unleashing the potential of Gen AI in marketing teams, and sets out a road map to guide marketing leaders through the process. It also highlights the gap between the potential of Gen AI to revolutionise the industry and current adoption by marketers.

The consensus among senior marketers and capability builders is that Gen AI is going to be a game-changer in the next three to five years. Respondents rate its impact at 9.0 out of 10 on average. But organisational readiness is lagging; most respondents admit that they’re not quite AI-ready (4.9 out of 10), though external partners like agencies and data providers are seen to be slightly ahead of the curve at 5.3 out of 10.

This lack of readiness is holding back marketing’s Gen AI revolution. Respondents believe the industry is still in its early stages, rating the current impact of the technology on the industry at 5.3 out of 10.

The study identifies four ways in which Gen AI will transform marketing.

The first is through strategic advancement, including building long-term brand strategies, and challenging, validating and fine-tuning marketing outputs.

The second way is through operational efficiency, with Gen AI being used for day-to-day execution, streamlining tasks and automating processes like data management, tracking and workflow automation.

The third way is by elevating brands through empowering long-term brand planning and innovation, using Gen AI to help align marketing with overarching business goals, guide teams and influence trend forecasting.

Implementation isn’t straightforward: the issues of ethical use, training and data quality all need to be addressed
Thomas von der Fuhr

The fourth way is by automated marketing engaging consumers in real time with tailored content. Gen AI can help marketers with tasks that include media buying and  personalising messaging for different channels, devices and languages.

Kantar’s study explains that the benefits of successfully adopting Gen AI tools include reducing the product development cycle to as little as six weeks and creating world-class creative concepts in 60% less time — which underscores the need for marketing leaders to act fast.

“The overwhelming consensus among senior marketers is that Gen AI is going to revolutionise the industry,” says Thomas von der Fuhr, consulting senior director at Kantar. “However, many companies don't feel ready yet. Leading organisations are making the shift from using Gen AI predominantly for efficiency to also drive effectiveness. Implementation isn’t straightforward: the issues of ethical use, training and data quality all need to be addressed.

“Those who get it right will succeed by building excitement and understanding about Gen AI among everyone in their business: explaining what the tools can and cannot do and how they can help [marketers] achieve more with greater efficiency, speed and effectiveness.”

Read the full study here: GenAI for marketing: Fear or Fomo?

The big take-out: Marketers need to move beyond simply understanding Gen AI’s potential and focus on practical implementation strategies to avoid falling behind.

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