The news: Marketers around the world are concerned about genAI content oversaturating core channels just as performance in high ROI channels starts to slip.

Over one-quarter (29.3%) of marketing professionals at B2B and B2C companies say AI-generated content flooding channels is their top industry concern, per CoSchedule’s After the AI Shift report, due to its potential to complicate differentiation for content and campaigns.

That concern is tied closely to visibility, with 16.3% worry about a decreasing presence in search. For many, the fear is being actualized—31.4% say the greatest decline they’ve seen in marketing performance is in organic search and SEO, followed by website traffic (21.7%) and email marketing (21.4%).

Digging into the data: These drops raise revenue concerns as email campaigns and search are also marketers’ highest earning channels. More than one-quarter (28.0%) of marketing professionals say email marketing delivers the highest ROI for their organization, and 26.1% point to SEO.

Why it matters: As genAI content floods search results and inboxes, standing out is getting harder. SEO and email aren’t optional or experimental channels. They’re need-to-haves that outperform many other paid and emerging channels.

If AI-driven saturation reduces visibility and complicates differentiation in these areas, marketers may need to allocate more resources for unique content to get the same results.

Implications for brands: The advancing role and presence of AI in marketing could change brand priorities around protecting performance in high-earning areas.

• Differentiation will become a real competitive advantage. Brands that invest in original insights, proprietary data, and a distinct brand voice will be better positioned to cut through oversaturated search results and inboxes.
• Rising acquisition costs may pressure budgets. If search and email performance weakens, marketers may be forced to spend more on paid channels to maintain growth.
• AI’s role could shift from production to amplification. The most effective use of genAI may move away from mass content creation toward optimization, testing, and personalization.

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