The insight: CMOs worldwide increasingly view artificial intelligence as a transformative force across marketing functions—but they’re not aligned on where most of that value will come from, according to a recent Merkle report. Despite differing answers, five categories clearly emerged as those CMOs are most hopeful about.

1. Improving marketing effectiveness: 44% of CMOs believe AI will sharpen performance through better targeting, personalization, and creative testing. By analyzing signals at scale, AI promises more relevant messaging and stronger ROI. Tools can identify patterns in vast datasets, predict customer behavior, and continually refine campaigns, boosting engagement and efficiency across channels.

For global brands, AI’s ability to adapt campaigns across audiences, languages, and platforms is vital. Leaders see this as a way to maximize budgets across fragmented media environments.

2. More efficient processes: Nearly as many (42%) leaders cite workflow improvements. Automating repetitive tasks such as data cleaning, reporting, and asset versioning frees teams to focus on higher-value work. Predictive analytics and automated campaign management also save costs while improving customer satisfaction—an efficiency gain many see as a competitive edge.

3. Greater team productivity: AI is also viewed as an enabler of human performance and productivity (42%). Drafting content, analyzing results, or summarizing communications can be done in seconds, allowing teams to prioritize ideation and brand building. The result is fewer errors, balanced workloads, and greater focus on strategic, creative tasks that drive growth.

4. Better scale and speed-to-market: Shorter creative cycles are another critical benefit. Marriott, for example, used Adobe Experience Platform to generate tens of millions of personalized variations and reduce content production time by 70%.

On the other end of the spectrum, a small taquería used ChatGPT to script a viral video ad in 10 minutes, earning 22 million views. Both cases highlight how AI enables rapid creative deployment that would once have been unthinkable.

5. Saving money: Although less common, some companies are cutting teams outright. Intel, P&G, and Microsoft have all announced layoffs in 2025 linked to automation and AI adoption, especially in marketing and sales.

Some CMOs see AI as a reason to bring more work in-house, with 22% citing reduced reliance on external agencies and 20% pointing to lower fees. Instead of sidelining agencies, this shift recasts their role—away from execution and toward higher-value creative and advisory work. That evolution is already visible: Mastercard, for instance, chose WPP Media in part for its AI capabilities.

Our take: AI’s role is no longer seen as just automation—it’s now considered a lever for both creative and operational impact. Marketing leaders expect it to touch everything from campaign quality to organizational design.

CMOs see AI as both a growth engine and a cost-control mechanism. The promise is to do more with less, elevating performance, speeding execution, and containing expenses. The challenge now is ensuring AI enhances creativity and customer trust, rather than reducing marketing to an efficiency exercise.