Artificial intelligence is transforming the marketing industry faster than ever, but while the power and reach of AI are undeniable, the true magic happens when technology and human creativity join forces. Marketers as a whole are inherently attracted to the opportunity to use their creativity, and AI liberates them to get back to this core principle.
“Marketing has always been an early adopter of technology, because it’s where the consumers are going or they are currently,” said Roy Capon, global experiences lead at Avanade, a provider of digital services and AI-driven solutions across Microsoft and Sitecore platforms. “In marketing there is a natural curiosity to experiment, and that experimentation can drive competitive advantage and lead to discovering new ways of connecting with customers.”
Human creativity is where the best ideas come from, but AI can inspire new ideas and handle some of the unwanted chores. “If you think about some of the most legendary advertisements of all time, AI would never come up with these ideas,” Capon said. “But it can do all the mechanical and manual work, freeing us up to do the more interesting, creative and brilliant stuff that requires a human brain.”
While just 60% of companies across a variety of industries will make AI a top priority, according to the recently published “Avanade Trendlines: AI Value Report 2025,” marketers are gearing up. The results of a new study, “From Content to Experience: How AI Is Shaping the Future of Marketing,” point in just one direction: Adopting and integrating AI is no longer just a strategic option, it’s an operational necessity. In fact, the data collected from marketers in North America, the U.K. and Australia, found that 82% of brands plan to adopt AI soon, with more than two-thirds projecting to integrate in some capacity within the next two years.That said, only 12% of companies feel fully prepared for large-scale adoption.
AI integration can include handling repetitive tasks to save productivity time, stimulating new ideas to aid creativity and iterating on ideas that already exist. For example, it can help with hyper personalization, the need for a million types of different content served in real time.
While the thought of integrating AI into marketing strategies—such as who to target and how to target them—might feel daunting, the research makes one thing clear: The opportunities far outweigh the challenges. By understanding how AI can complement human creativity and strategizing, marketing teams can leverage its potential to redefine the industry.
Catalyzing innovation by freeing up time for creatives
Artificial intelligence is designed to work in harmony with humans, serving as a collaborative tool rather than a replacement. “I find it quite liberating in many ways,” said Capon, who emphasized its potential to enhance and supplement human capabilities when implemented effectively.
The chief marketing officers and other senior marketers interviewed for the study agree—74% of respondents believe that human creativity and intuition will never be replaced by machine technology. Instead, AI should be used to take care of mundane day-to-day tasks that often weigh teams down, such as data processing and analytics.
To catalyze new levels of creative innovation, it’s essential to foster a culture that embraces strategic advances from the bottom upward. Historically, marketing has always been one of the fastest-adopting sectors for technology, and when technological experimentation is encouraged, breakthroughs in productivity, customer engagement and brand growth follow.
Scaling hyper personalization through AI capabilities
Classical marketing was founded on the notion of being able to deliver the right message to the right person at the right time. This was true 30 years ago and it’s true now. The difference? Today that marketing ideal can actually be reached thanks to the speed with which AI tools can process customer data points—everything from past purchases to email interactions to support conversations. Segment of one is now attainable, and the joint study found that personalization at scale is the top benefit anticipated from the integration of AI with marketing.
AI has the ability to scale seamlessly across millions of interactions, managing tasks like customer data analysis, content creation and delivery optimization. Instead of spending hours manually translating this information, teams can shift their focus to higher-value activities such as strategic planning and creative direction, while AI uncovers insights into customer behavior and forecasts emerging trends. This streamlined approach to hyperpersonalization enhances the entire consumer journey, driving increases in brand loyalty, engagement and conversion rates.
“Picture a customer exploring a new collection of hiking gear online,” explained Kathie Johnson, CMO of Sitecore. “AI connects the dots across their browsing habits, previous purchases and even past support queries to create a uniquely tailored shopping experience. From suggesting the perfect backpack to timing an email with personalized gear recommendations, it’s a level of precision and cohesion that would be nearly impossible to replicate manually.”
Ensuring brand consistency and compliance with AI guardrails
Brand consistency and uniformity has always been important, and marketers have often been charged with memorizing extensive brand books and style guides that contain everything from approved fonts to Pantone preferences—in other words, the practical and visual rules of a brand. New tech tools can now be taught these parameters and become fluent in a brand’s voice, eliminating the chance of human error.
That said, according to the report, 54% of CMOs are nervous about the heavy lift to train AI to ensure this level of consistency across distributed teams and channels. It is seen as the highest risk area for implementation, but that’s where the indispensable aspect of human guidance comes into play.
“We’ve only scratched the surface of what AI can do for brand and content creation,” said Michele Fisher, global director of business strategy at Microsoft. “Taking the bold step to embrace it as a partner—not a replacement—requires courage, but the rewards are immense. Human insight remains the guiding force, ensuring that technology enhances creativity rather than diminishing it.”
What’s more, compliance no longer needs to be headache-inducing. Instead of individuals needing to consistently stay up to speed on the newest legal rules and regulations, such as the 2024 ICC Advertising and Marketing Communications Code and the new AI Act, AI tools can be fed this information and then take over execution, so nothing is missed or misunderstood. The key is to view machine learning as a partnership that will help marketing teams create optimized and more personalized campaigns. AI won’t fully replace marketers, but it can and should be thought of as a strategic collaborator that can unlock additional value and productivity.
“This all just gives us more time to think and do,” Capon said. “That’s the real power of it. Once we understand it in that context, adoption will become much wider and scaled across more organizations. We’ve just got to get over that leap.”
