A new study has revealed that over one-third of chief marketing officers (CMOs) have observed improvements in customer experience, content quality, and volume from GenAI, yet fewer CMOs than last year report efficiency gains from enhanced productivity and decreased manual work. The survey, conducted by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in April and May 2025, involved 200 CMOs from Asia, Europe, and North America.
Despite this, 71% of CMOs intend to allocate over $10m annually to GenAI in the next three years, up from 57% last year. The survey also revealed a rise in optimism, with confidence in GenAI among CMOs expected to increase from 74% in 2023 to 83% in 2025, while concerns are decreasing. Still, 60% of CMOs expect GenAI to drive revenue growth of more than 5% in their key areas, according to BCG’s report, “How CMOs Are Scaling GenAI in Turbulent Times.”
“GenAI is rapidly becoming embedded in the marketing function,” said BCG managing director and personalisation business global leader Mark Abraham. “Even in the current turbulent macroeconomic environment, we’re seeing CMOs invest in shifting from isolated pilots to scaled GenAI use cases, enhancing personalisation and marketing operations.”
Video generation and AI agents emerge as key GenAI focus areas for CMOs
CMOs are directing their GenAI investments towards content creation, AI-driven personalisation, and agentic AI. Video generation is a major focus, with 30% of CMOs identifying it as their next priority. Predictive analytics remains crucial for personalisation, with product recommendations, outreach timing, and next-best content fully implemented by CMOs.
Advanced applications like personalised offers, churn prediction, and audience optimisation are the next wave of pilot projects. Leading marketers achieve returns three times higher with personalised offers compared to mass offers. AI agents are transforming marketing operations, especially in B2B firms, with one-third of B2B CMOs and nearly a quarter of B2C CMOs prioritising investment in AI agents.
When asked about their funding priorities for enhancing digital customer experiences, CMOs ranked the use of GenAI for ROI measurement last. Many rely on previous investments in first-party data collection, resulting in underinvestment in ROI measurement.
At the same time, CMOs continue to invest in talent development. With GenAI expertise in short supply, many are upskilling their teams through hackathons, AI incubator studios, and hands-on demonstrations, rather than hiring externally.
“In conversations with CMOs, it’s clear that GenAI has become a core part of how modern marketing teams operate,” said BCG managing director and marketing practice global lead Lauren Wiener. “What separates the winners is a commitment not just to scaling the technology, but to empowering the people who use it. Those CMOs investing in tools and talent are the ones rewriting the playbook.”
Read more: Firms to spend more on GenAI than security in 2025, study finds
