New survey reveals top AI use cases for marketing and advertising

As artificial intelligence transforms marketing and advertising, new survey data reveals how industry professionals are leveraging generative AI tools in their work.

Key findings from global survey: A July 2023 study of 202 marketing and advertising professionals across the Americas and Europe provides insight into how generative AI is being deployed across the industry.

• More than half of respondents report using generative AI specifically for content creation and drafting
• Nearly 49% utilize the technology for brainstorming and ideation purposes
• One-third of marketing professionals employ generative AI to conduct research
• About 13% have implemented generative AI for ad personalization efforts

Industry representation: The research captures perspectives across the marketing and advertising ecosystem to provide a comprehensive view of AI adoption.

• Survey participants represented diverse organizations including major agencies, B2B and B2C companies, non-profit organizations, and publishing firms
• The geographic scope spanning North America, South America and Europe offers insights into AI usage patterns across different markets and business contexts

Use case prioritization: The data reveals clear preferences in how marketing professionals are choosing to apply generative AI technology.

• Content creation emerges as the dominant use case, likely due to AI’s ability to quickly generate draft copy and content variations
• The strong showing for brainstorming applications suggests AI is being valued as a tool for creative ideation and concept development
• Research applications represent a significant but secondary use case, indicating AI’s growing role in market analysis and intelligence gathering
• The relatively lower adoption for ad personalization may reflect the more complex technical requirements of implementing AI in advertising systems

Looking ahead: While current adoption focuses primarily on content and ideation tasks, the emergence of more sophisticated AI capabilities could shift usage patterns toward more technical marketing applications like personalization and optimization in the coming years.