世界大型企业联合会：AI在营销与传播中的应用

Marketing&CommunicationsCenter

AIinMarketing&Communications:

BoostingProductivity—andCreativity,Too?

2AIinMarketing&Communications:BoostingProductivity—andCreativity,Too?

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TherecentemergenceofAI,especiallygenerativeAI,provides

marketingandcommunicationsteamswithnewopportunitieswhilealsoposingnewrisks.Thisbenchmarkingreport,basedonasurveyofmarketingandcommunicationsprofessionalsbyTheConferenceBoardincollaborationwithRaganCommunications,shows

widespreadAIuseandexperimentation,thoughthereareconcerns.OursurveyshowsthatexpectationsaboutAI’simpactoncreativityarepositiveoverall,althoughsomedovoicemorepessimisticviews.

InsightsforWhat’sAhead

.Formarketersandcommunicators,AIcurrentlyservesmostlyasa

productivityenhancementtool.Usesincludesummarizingcontent,doing

thelegwork/inspirethinking,andproducingcontentfaster,freeinguptime

forstrategyandcreativework.HalfofoursurveyrespondentssayAIwill

helpinfutureproductandservicesinnovation.Just16percentseeAIas

havinganegativeimpact.

.Whiletheyanticipateproductivity,learning,financial,andinnovation

benefitsasfamiliaritywithAIusegrows,marketersand

communicatorsarelesscertainaboutitsimpactonworkqualityand

creativity.Onthedownside,40percentseeAIashavinganegative

impactonjobsintheirfunction.Just4percentseeapositivejobimpact.

.Midlevel/juniormarketersareattheforefrontofadoptingAIintheir

work,aheadofseniormarketers,positioningthemtoshapetheadoptionandevolutionofAIwithintheirorganizations.Comparedtotheirjunior

peersandtheircommunicationscolleagues,seniormarketersaremore

optimisticaboutAIimprovinginnovation,workquality,andcreativityinthefuture.

.Misinformation/lackofaccuracy,legaluncertainties,anddatasecurityaremarketers’andcommunicators’topAIconcerns,suggesting

cautioususeandtheneedtobepreparedtomanageincreasedrisks.

AsAIandregulationsdevelop,thelevelofconcernislikelytodecline.

.Mostmarketersandcommunicatorsarecurrentlyusingaself-taught

approachtolearningAI,butinthisrapidlyevolvingfield,professionals

couldbenefitfromorganizedpeerandknowledgeexchangegroups.

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AI’sCurrentUseServesMostlyProductivityGoalsButAlsoHasPotentialforStrategyInput

Figure1

AIiswidelyused,includingforexperimentation,by87and85percentof

marketingandcommunicationsprofessionals,respectively,foratleastone

application.WhilemarketingprofessionalsuseAImoreforpersonalizationandcustomerservice,communicationsprofessionalsuseitmorefrequentlyfor

contentandimagecreation.

.AIservesmostlyasaproductivitytool,freeinguptimeforstrategyandcreativework.Ultimately,AIcanaidproductinnovationbysupportingideaexplorationandprovidinginput.

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Figure2

Mid-level/juniorprofessionalsseeAIevenmoreasaproductivityenhancementtoolthantheirseniorcolleagues.ThelatteruseAImoreasaresearchtool,

presumablytoexploretopicsandgatherinputformorestrategicprojects.

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ProductivityIstheMostWidelyAnticipatedBenefitofAI,WhileImpactonWorkQualityandCreativityRemainsUncertain

Figure3

CommunicatorsandmarketersagreeonthefuturebenefitsofAIfor

productivity,learning,financialresults,andinnovation—andonthenegativeimpactonthenumberofjobs.ButtheyaremoredividedonhowAImight

changecreativityandworkquality.Humanintelligence,supplementedbyAI,mightbesynergisticandhelpelevatecreativity—ifcreativescanfindwaystoleverageAIasanassistant.

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Figure4a

SeniormarketersaremostoptimisticaboutAIimprovinginnovation,workquality,andcreativity—comparedtotheirjuniorpeersandcommunicationscolleagues.

ThismightbeduetotheirexpectationsofAItoolsinspiringthinkingbyhelpingwithresearchandbygeneratingoutputthatcantriggerideas.

Figure4b

Seniorandjuniorcommunicatorsaremorealignedintheiropinions,anticipatingmorepositivequalityandcreativityeffectsfromAIthannegativeones.

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MarketersCurrentlyMakeGreaterUseofAIComparedtoCommunicators

Figure5

While60percentofcommunicatorshaveembracedAIintheirdailywork,includingtogeneratecontentandimages,marketers’greateradoption(68percent)mayreflectthemoreestablisheduseofAIforcustomer-facing

applicationssuchaspersonalizationandcustomerservice.

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Figure6

Mid-level/juniormarketersareattheforefrontofadoptingAIintheirwork,

aheadofseniormarketers,positioningthemtohelpshapetheevolutionandadoptionofAIintheirorganizations.

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DataSourceQualityandLegalandDataPrivacyConcernsCallforCautiousUseofAIandGreaterRiskManagement

Figure7

Misinformation,legaluncertainties,anddatasecurityaremarketers’and

communicators’topAIworries,suggestingcarefuluseandtheneedtomitigateincreasedrisks.

.CommunicatorsvoicinganeedtoenhancetheirAIexpertisemightmakethemopenfororganizedAI-focusedlearningorpeerexchangeprograms.

.MarketersseeingAI’scapabilitiesasmorelimitedmightstemfromtheirexperiencewith

mass-orienteduseofAI,includingforautomatedcustomerservice,which

ourresearch

hasshowniscustomers’biggestcustomerservicefrustration.

.AsAIandregulationsdevelop,thelevelofconcernislikelytodecline.

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Figure8

Seniormarketersandcommunicators,whoseefewerdownsidesofAIthantheirmid-level/juniorcolleagues,couldpreemptpotentialorganizational“blindspots”aboutAIthroughregularconversationswiththelattergroup,whoarethemostfrequentAIusersoverall.

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InformalSelf-EducationDominatesCurrentAILearning,

OpeningOpportunitiesforOrganizedPeerLearningPrograms

Figure9

Consistentwithtoday’sgreateruseofAIinmarketing,marketersfocusmoreonlearningAI.Marketingandcommunicationsprofessionalsarelargelyself-taught,exploringAIontheirowntime—exceptformid-level/juniormarketers,wholeveragetheirworktimemore.

.Giventhisrapidlyevolvingfield,professionalsmightappreciateorganizedpeerexchangegroupsorotherlessformallearningopportunitiesonthelatestAIdevelopments.

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Figure10

Mid-level/juniormarketers,thebiggestAIadopters,arethemostpronetolearnAIduringworktimeandthroughtalkwithotherAIexperts,positioningthemtohelpshapeAIapplications.SeniormarketingprofessionalsaremostlikelytouseorganizedexternalopportunitiestolearnaboutAI.

Methodology

ThefindingsinthispublicationarebasedonanonlinesurveyconductedbyTheConference

BoardincollaborationwithRaganCommunicationsfromJune1toJune23,2023.Theobjectivewastounderstandcommunicatorsandmarketers’useof(generative)AI.Thesurveyyieldedatotalof287responses(102seniorand181junior/mid-levelmarketingandcommunications

professionals,inadditionto4uncategorizedrespondents).VicePresidenttoCEO/C-suitepositionsaredefinedas“senior”andeveryoneelseas“mid-level/junior.”

Acknowledgments

TheauthorwouldliketothankIvanPollard(Marketing&CommunicationsCenterLeader)forhisinputthroughoutthisproject,JuditTorok(ResearchAssociate)andLawrenciaTeris(SurveyResearchAnalyst)formanagingallaspectsofrunningthesurvey,MeenakshiJanardhanan

(ResearchAssociate,Marketing&CommunicationsCenter)forthedataanalysisandgraphics,MeganPeffer(MemberEngagementManager,MarketingandCommunicationsCenter),AnnaWalker(MemberEngagementAssociate,MarketingandCommunicationsCenter),Brendan

Hasenstab(SeniorWriter,MarketingandCommunicationsCenter),andtheProgramDirectorsandManagersattheMarketingandCommunicationsCenterforhelpingwiththesurveypanel.

Lastbutnotleast,wethankDianeSchwartz,ChiefExecutiveOfficerofRagan

Communications,forcollaborationonthisproject.

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AbouttheAuthor

DeniseDahlhoff,

PhD,SeniorResearcher,ConsumerResearch

AboutTheConferenceBoard

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