{"id":11206,"date":"2026-07-21T08:03:22","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T14:03:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/attentionmedia.io\/?p=11206"},"modified":"2026-07-21T08:03:22","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T14:03:22","slug":"what-cmos-should-be-doing-about-ai-right-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/attentionmedia.io\/?p=11206","title":{"rendered":"What CMOs should be doing about AI right now"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/SnapWebLensBuilder_1920-800x450.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mckinsey.com\/capabilities\/growth-marketing-and-sales\/our-insights\/from-anxiety-to-advantage-a-marketing-organization-that-thrives-with-ai\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">June 2026 McKinsey article<\/a>, 96% of CMOs surveyed agreed with the statement, \u201cI feel excited about the possibilities of AI at work.\u201d Is that excitement translating to action? <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s the question CMOs need to address right now. The survey also found, \u201conly 28% of marketers from our survey view their companies as pursuing a fundamental rewiring of their marketing teams and workflows.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two phenomena are at play.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>First, per McKinsey, 80% of CMOs surveyed agreed with the statement, \u201cAI poses a threat to my job security.\u201d This suggests that CMOs don\u2019t want to change despite the insistence on being excited. If CMOs are unwilling to change as the industry undergoes rapid change, their fear is justified.<\/li>\n<li>The second is from Gartner: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gartner.com\/en\/newsroom\/press-releases\/2026-02-23-gartner-survey-reveals-cmo-ai-blind-spot-as-65-percent-expect-role-disruption-yet-only-32-percent-say-significant-skill-changes-are-needed\">Its research<\/a> found that \u201conly 32% [of CMOs] say significant changes are needed to the CMO profile and skill set.\u201d Even if CMOs wanted to lead their organizations in adopting AI, they lack the skills to do so. If that wasn\u2019t bad enough, two-thirds don\u2019t think the skill gap is a problem.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AI in marketing is similar to the toothpaste factory in the film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Charlie\u2019s father works in the factory putting caps on toothpaste tubes, only to lose his job when factory management invests in machines to cap them. In the end, Charlie\u2019s father is rehired by the factory to maintain the machines that cap the tubes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dear CMOs, AI is transforming marketing with or without you. We don\u2019t hear much these days from those who chose not to adopt digital. Since we\u2019re past the point where reluctance can stop the train, let\u2019s look at what CMOs should be doing today.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.semrush.com\/enterprise\/seo\/?utm_campaign=ic_mt_0101enterprise&amp;utm_source=martech.org&amp;utm_medium=referral\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"headline-responsive\">\n        10X your SEO with <span>Semrush for Enterprise<\/span>.\n      <\/div>\n<p>\n        The world\u2019s most powerful SEO platform, purpose-built for Enterprise.\n      <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n      <span>Request demo<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>    <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Build your AI literacy<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You have to work with these tools and develop a deep understanding of how to use them. Start with general resources, such as the Marketing AI Institute, which offers free courses and resources. This will give you a baseline to work from.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From there, you\u2019ll need to get your hands on the keyboard. Play around with the tools your organization uses to develop intelligent questions to bring to your team. You\u2019ll begin to understand the decisions they regularly have to make, why they matter, and why you want to be informed about them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is unpopular. According to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gartner.com\/en\/articles\/ai-skills-in-marketing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">June 2026 Gartner article<\/a>, \u201c66% of marketers say learning new technologies takes significant time away from day-to-day work.\u201d However, given that \u201cGartner predicts that by 2027, a lack of AI literacy will rank among the top three reasons CMOs are replaced at large enterprises,\u201d it may be worth some day-to-day disruption.<\/p>\n<figure data-wp-context='{\"imageId\":\"6a5f79b69815f\"}' data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6a5f79b69815f\" class=\"wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--pointerdown=\"actions.preloadImage\" data-wp-on--pointerenter=\"actions.preloadImageWithDelay\" data-wp-on--pointerleave=\"actions.cancelPreload\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cmos-arent-learning-AI-800x533.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-411214\" \/><button class=\"lightbox-trigger\" type=\"button\" data-wp-bind--aria-label=\"state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-style--right=\"state.thisImage.buttonRight\" data-wp-style--top=\"state.thisImage.buttonTop\">\n<p>\t\t<\/p><\/button><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rethink your marketing organization<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Demand from boards and CEOs for AI adoption is relatively new, so your organization likely isn\u2019t designed around AI. That has to change. Start by considering two key questions:<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How much of your budget should be allocated to AI?<\/h3>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gartner.com\/en\/newsroom\/press-releases\/2026-05-11-gartner-2026-cmo-spend-survey-finds-cmos-allocate-15-point-3-percent-of-marketing-budgets-to-ai-but-only-30-percent-are-ready-to-scale-ai-capabilities\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gartner\u2019s May 2026 press release<\/a>, they reported, \u201cCMOs are allocating an average of 15.3% of marketing budgets to AI initiatives.\u201d For context, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcg.com\/publications\/2026\/making-the-agentic-marketing-transformation-a-reality\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">June 2026 Boston Consulting Group publication<\/a> found, \u201c43% of CMOs report their AI investments in marketing exceeded $15 million this year (compared with 28% last year).\u201d The appetite for AI investment is strong, but be prepared to quantify results before your finance team\u2019s patience wears thin.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What do you do about a team you didn\u2019t staff for AI?\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BCG found that CMOs \u201cmust reimagine the job to be done at every layer of the function \u2014 insights, strategy, creative, planning, production, activation, or measurement \u2014 in the context of what AI makes possible.\u201d They say the majority of marketing organizations make targeted cuts, but leading CMOs are doing things differently.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They\u2019re creating new AI roles and teams. They\u2019re pairing humans with AI across analytics, marketing science, and engineering to build and manage new workflows.<\/li>\n<li>Recognizing that AI doesn\u2019t care about their org chart, these CMOs are building smaller, AI-assisted teams that work cross-functionally and break down old organizational silos.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Turn AI adoption into business results<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mckinsey.com\/capabilities\/growth-marketing-and-sales\/our-insights\/reinventing-marketing-workflows-with-agentic-ai\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">April 2026 McKinsey article<\/a> found that a hybrid human-AI workforce would be transformational:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>10% to 30% revenue growth from hyperpersonalized marketing.<\/li>\n<li>10x to 15x faster creation and execution of marketing campaigns.<\/li>\n<li>Humans are freed to focus on human tasks with higher ROI from data-driven marketing, media, and creative performance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As nearly all CMOs agreed, it\u2019s an exciting time to be in marketing. AI is revolutionizing the way we do business, and that change brings anxiety. The time is now to enable yourself and rework your organization. You certainly don\u2019t want to be Charlie\u2019s dad, still capping toothpaste tubes at the factory.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/martech.org\/what-cmos-should-be-doing-about-ai-right-now\/\">What CMOs should be doing about AI right now<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/martech.org\/\">MarTech<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to a June 2026 McKinsey article, 96% of CMOs surveyed agreed with the statement, \u201cI feel excited about the possibilities of AI at work.\u201d Is that excitement translating to action? That\u2019s the question CMOs need to address right now. The survey also found, \u201conly 28% of marketers from our survey view their companies as &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/attentionmedia.io\/?p=11206\" class=\"more-link\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;What CMOs should be doing about AI right now&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"featured_media_urls":{"thumbnail":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cmos-arent-learning-AI.png",0,0,false],"medium":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cmos-arent-learning-AI.png",0,0,false],"medium_large":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cmos-arent-learning-AI.png",0,0,false],"large":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cmos-arent-learning-AI.png",0,0,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cmos-arent-learning-AI.png",0,0,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cmos-arent-learning-AI.png",0,0,false],"inspiro-featured-image":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cmos-arent-learning-AI.png",0,0,false],"inspiro-loop":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cmos-arent-learning-AI.png",0,0,false],"inspiro-loop@2x":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cmos-arent-learning-AI.png",0,0,false],"portfolio_item-thumbnail":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cmos-arent-learning-AI.png",0,0,false],"portfolio_item-thumbnail@2x":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cmos-arent-learning-AI.png",0,0,false],"portfolio_item-masonry":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cmos-arent-learning-AI.png",0,0,false],"portfolio_item-masonry@2x":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cmos-arent-learning-AI.png",0,0,false],"portfolio_item-thumbnail_cinema":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cmos-arent-learning-AI.png",0,0,false],"portfolio_item-thumbnail_portrait":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cmos-arent-learning-AI.png",0,0,false],"portfolio_item-thumbnail_portrait@2x":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cmos-arent-learning-AI.png",0,0,false],"portfolio_item-thumbnail_square":["https:\/\/martech.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cmos-arent-learning-AI.png",0,0,false]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/attentionmedia.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/attentionmedia.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/attentionmedia.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/attentionmedia.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/attentionmedia.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11206"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/attentionmedia.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11206\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/attentionmedia.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/attentionmedia.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/attentionmedia.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}