If You Build It: AI Promises Big Marketing ROI … But Only On ‘Solid Foundation’

More than many professionals, arguably, marketers have been seeing the drastic day-to-day differences that AI is making and enabling. 

Proving its value — like proving any value and ROI — is a whole other matter.

“Marketers are under pressure to demonstrate and optimize marketing’s value to their business, but they must contend with a turbulent economy, data management and regulatory challenges, changing customer expectations, and a fast-evolving technology ecosystem,” starts a new report entitled It’s Time To Get Serious About AI’s Business Value. “AI holds great promise as a powerful enabling tool for marketing leaders, but effective, scaled AI adoption requires significant investments in data, technology, and process changes.”

The report, from Zeta Global and Forrester Consulting, found that, of the hurdles that are keeping organizations from increasing their AI investments, lack of skills ranked highest (72%), followed by data quality (63%) and privacy and regulatory concerns (62%). 

“Without a solid foundation of data and skills, leaders will struggle to confidently deploy AI and deliver discernable business value,” the report says, adding that 62% of those martech decision-makers surveyed say their current AI implementation is either limited or moderate.

Considering the benefits they foresee with AI adoption, from better business coordination to improved personalization and overall understanding of customers, limiting that potential has serious consequences. Particularly as 64% expect increased ROI on their marketing spend as a downstream impact.

(Source: Zeta Global)

“They also see this new era of technology as a prime opportunity to enhance how they demonstrate marketing’s role as a trusted advisor and leader for the business,” the report says. “However, these benefits are most likely to be recognized by those firms who have built a solid foundation and intentional adoption strategy for AI.”

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