• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, Yesterday

Brands foresee many grand uses for AI. But the case for the new tool is largely built on what companies can’t do in their marketing, judging by The 2025 AI and Marketing Performance Index, a study by GrowthLoop in partnership with Ascend2. 

For instance, brands face these challenges in growing faster or achieving better results:

• Delayed approvals and decision-making — 40%
• Limited resources/budget — 38%
• Difficulty identifying/engaging the right audience — 30%
• Manual processes/limited automation — 29%
• Reliance on other input from teams — 29%
• Difficulty leveraging technology — 26%
• Delayed/prolonged sales cycle — 24%
• Siloed data across teams — 21%
• Limited personalization capabilities — 21%

That by no means exhausts the list of difficulties. The biggest marketing delays or bottlenecks include: 

• Data analysis and insights — 53% 
• Campaign development — 47% 
• Personalization at scale — 44% 
• Audience segmentation — 40% 
• A/B testing and optimization — 36% 
• Other — 2%

But here’s where AI comes in. Firms are already using AI in these marketing areas:

• Predicting customer behavior — 39%
• Content generation or ideation — 38%
• Generating insights and recommendations — 36%
• Personalizing content at scale — 36%
• Optimizing campaign journeys — 31%
• Automating audience segmentation — 28%
• SEO/content optimization — 27%
• We are not actively using AI in. marketing — 15%

Looking forward, large percentages are planning to implement AI in these areas in the next year so that the total usage will be:

• Predicting customer behavior — 61%
• Content generation or ideation — 63%
• Generating insights and recommendations — 68%
• Personalizing content at scale — 61%
• Optimizing campaign journeys — 61%
• Automating audience segmentation — 54%
• SEO/content optimization — 51%

But barriers exist here, too. The biggest hurdles in adopting AI-driven marketing are:

• Concerns about data security — 45%
• Difficulty integrating AI with existing systems — 37%
• High implementation costs — 33%
• Lack of internal expertise — 22%
• Uncertainty about AI effectiveness — 30%
• Resistance to change from leadership or teams — 28%
• Lack of confidence in current AI offerings — 27%

Despite those obstacles, marketers feel AI will have a positive impact in the next 12 months in these areas:

- AI will augment marketers, making them more efficient and creative — 47%

- AI will automate tasks but keep humans in strategic roles — 36%

- AI will handle most marketing functions, with minimal human involvement — 13%

- AI will eventually replace most marketing teams entirely — 4%

GrowthLoop and Ascend2 surveyed 309 marketing professionals in the U.S. and Canada in April 2025. They work at companies with $100+ million in revenue, and hold the titles of manager or strategist or above.