GenAI has moved from hype to an essential in marketing, study finds

Most marketers (85%) are now actively deploying Generative AI (GenAI) technology, up from 75% in 2024, according to a new survey from SAS and Coleman Parkes titled “Marketers and AI: Navigating New Depths.” 

“GenAI has officially moved from hype to essential marketing infrastructure,” said Jenn Chase, chief marketing officer and executive vice president at SAS. “With 85% of marketing teams actively embedding GenAI into daily workflows, the technology is no longer a pilot project but a core driver of marketing transformation.”

 Essential in marketing

The study of 300 organisations worldwide, comprising marketers, reports that 94% have improved personalisation, 91% cite efficiency in processing large datasets through GenAI technologies; moreover, the majority (90%) report savings in time and operational costs. Almost 90% report increased predictive accuracy, customer loyalty, and sales.

Chase added, “Benefits are extending far beyond just time and cost savings. Improved customer loyalty and increased sales are now directly attributed to GenAI-powered analytics and targeting.”

Marketers have identified several key uses of GenAI in their strategies. These include chatbots (62%), content generation (45%), and trend analysis (36%). Furthermore, there are emerging use cases for GenAI, such as deploying synthetic data (18%), exploring small language models (12%), and experimenting with digital twins (5%).

The majority (93%) of marketing teams are now budgeting for GenAI through 2026.