• by Skyler Mattson , January 27, 2025

Most CMOs are implementing AI in some way, using it for daily tasks or to increase efficiency in marketing approaches. However, the lack of communication between CIO and CMO means many companies are still at a loss for how to leverage generative AI for maximum impact. 

I see organizations operating like this when trying to maximize the value of AI investments in marketing, because the CMO and the CIO don’t share a recipe for success.

A year ago, research found that only 10% of companies were able to create value with generative AI. Which means 90% failed. That’s a big batch of bad cookies. The new Infosys CMO Radar report shows that marketing leaders have advanced since then, with 35% succeeding in their AI efforts, but we’re still far away from a true understanding on how to leverage this technology to its full effects. Here are a few ways CMOs can expand the value in AI: 

 Become best friends with your CIO. Tech and marketing need to work together effectively and align on goals, strategy and tactics at every level. It’s not enough for the CMO and CIO to communicate. Every member of both teams needs to be in the loop. The tech person who is most aware of the capabilities of AI should be working with front-line marketing staff to create the desired results, together.  Encourage your teams to cooperate by setting shared goals and incentives and providing training required to bring the partnership to life.

Structure your AI to fit your marketing goals. Clear data sets, KPIs and metrics are critical for marketing success with AI. Take the time to strategically assess capabilities that generative AI can enhance, and then prioritize which are going to bring the best results.

People can get excited about all the cool things AI can do, and it’s important to build the discipline to make sure that AI is doing the things marketing needs done to reach their goals. It’s not enough to just align with the CIO so there are clear data set. Data sets must be served in a way that is useful -- which means easily accessed, consumed and understood by key stakeholders.

Take responsible risks. Once you’ve connected marketing and tech, built effective communications and clear goals, you should be getting the data you need. With that foundation, you can start to experiment and use your business goals to inform how you can creatively infuse Gen AI into new areas or interactions with consumers. Inviting experimentation and rewarding innovation will motivate your most creative team members. It will also move you from the basic use of AI to drive efficiencies here and there to the kind of real mastery that can transform marketing strategies and reimagine outputs to drive value.