DMEXCO survey: AI is gradually conquering the marketing world
37 percent – more than a third of marketers – already use AI tools regularly, according to our survey. But what exactly do they use it for and what challenges still need to be overcome? Our survey provides valuable insights!
Artificial intelligence – already part of everyday life?
The “Consumer Evolution Detector” study by GroupM Science recently looked at the use of artificial intelligence in people’s personal lives in the first quarter of 2024. This showed that almost half of German consumers have already tried an AI tool. In addition, over two thirds of respondents (69 percent) see artificial intelligence as a long-term trend. This is in line with experiences on social media, where AI-generated content is changing the feeds of countless users. This suggests that AI has already become part of German consumers’ everyday lives. But what about the other side of the coin – the marketing and communication professionals who direct their messages at consumers? Our DMEXCO survey on the use of AI by marketers in their day-to-day work explored this question.
Much-hyped AI on its way to becoming an everyday tool
When was the last time the world looked the same when you opened your laptop in the morning as it did when you closed it the night before? Professional life, especially that of marketing and communication specialists, is currently changing at breakneck speed. The possibilities of AI sometimes seem like science fiction. But what does the current working reality of marketers look like? How are they adapting to the new technological possibilities? We wanted to find out, so we conducted a survey in the marketing and communications industry with the help of market research company Civey. The results show that there is still somewhat of a gap between the theoretical discussion of AI and its practical use in everyday life. And yet 37 percent of the specialists surveyed already use AI tools on a regular basis.
Survey on AI use: valuable insights for marketers
Are there any differences between age groups and genders in their use of ChatGPT etc.? And what are the specific challenges faced in everyday use? Our survey examines in detail the usage behavior of marketers and the challenges preventing them from daring to use even more AI. We can reveal that text creation dominates the areas of application for AI tools. And that makes sense: from emails and reports to pitches, most marketers create numerous texts in the course of their day-to-day work. Generative AI can provide valuable support for such tasks and save time. If you know what the finished text should look like, all you have to do is pack the appropriate instructions into a prompt to get the right output from the AI.
It is precisely this targeted prompting that many often still find to be a challenge in everyday life: a quarter of those surveyed rate their own prompting skills as good. However, more than half still see themselves as prompting newbies. One reason for this could be a lack of practice. Let us therefore quote the great Bruce Lee, albeit loosely: “I fear not the marketer who has used 10,000 tools once, but I fear the marketer who has used one tool 10,000 times.” Even if many marketers still need to refine their prompting skills, the figures from our survey show that the potential of AI is generally considered to be huge. It is only a matter of time before the relevant tools become firmly established in everyday marketing.
You can find all the figures and insights on AI usage by marketers in our detailed survey analysis, available for free download!
