The enterprise-wide adoption of AI is adding to marketers’ responsibilities but diminishing their control over key technologies. That’s the conclusion of new Gartner reports about what CMOs need to focus on in the coming year.

AI technologies are prompting organizations to pursue more digital growth initiatives which are being handled by cross-functional teams. Marketing leaders spend 17% more time collaborating cross-functionally than their non-marketing peers do, according to Gartner. 

However, those non-marketers wish marketing was spending less time doing this, as 55% said “marketing has an inflated view of its importance” to these efforts. The same percentage said having to work with marketing “is a major inhibitor” to the success of cross-functional initiatives.

One of the problems is that nearly everyone (81% of non-IT executive leaders) believes digital leadership is part of their job. This is understandable as digital growth initiatives are large, complex operations. Typically they have five to eight unique business functions involved and 20 to 35 people on the core project team. 

“Companies’ pursuit of digital initiatives designed to harness disruptive new technologies and unlock growth have made marketing ‘ground zero’ for cross-functional collaboration,” Ewan McIntyre, chief of research and VP analyst in the Gartner Marketing practice, said in a statement. “With a wave of major disruptions apparent in the year ahead, CMOs must have a sense of urgency to ride this wave by utilizing emerging technologies and helping to orchestrate profitable growth across functions, or risk being swamped by it.”

Digital ownership shifts have diminished marketing’s influence. The marketing function risks having its operations diluted to the point “it can no longer drive long-term business health,” the report found.

“When I want to use certain channels, I have to go ask a favor and get on the schedule instead of having it be part of my deployment strategy,” said one CMO in the report.

How to win back peers and control? Gartner suggests benchmarking your current state of organizational influence “to prioritize cultivating the skills and relationships that marketing needs to be successful.” Specifically:

  • Gauge how you are perceived in the organization, and engage peer leaders to gain actionable feedback about your level of influence and perceived value.
  • Scope and pare back marketing’s involvement in cross-functional collaboration based on the potential benefits and distinctiveness of marketing contributions.
  • Track and cultivate trusting relationships with key C-suite collaborators, especially the CIO.
  • Mature your marketing team’s strategic and critical thinking skills so the team can add more value to complex initiatives.
  • Coach and enable marketing team members to form more effective peer-level partnerships.

In the coming year, there are three things CMOs must focus on according to Gartner. First, build AI-enabled marketing teams, which may mean bringing in new expertise. Next, prove marketing’s value by focusing on its ability to drive business alignment through catalytic programs and leadership. Finally, do yourself and your people a favor — and give them time for more immediate needs — by not getting involved in every cross-functional effort. Limit it to the ones that will have the most impact and where marketing can truly bring something useful to the table.

Why we care. Sidelining or reducing marketing’s role is such an incredibly bad idea. It’s like saying, “We don’t really need customers.” That said, it is essential that marketing market itself within the organization. Prove your value and your usefulness. Be the helpful resource, not the people who know best. The people in the rest of the organization don’t understand that everything is marketing and they likely never will. Marketing needs to influence when it can’t directly lead.

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Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a game-changer in the marketing industry. It has revolutionized the way marketers work, providing them with new tools and technologies to reach their target audience more effectively. However, as AI continues to advance, it is also increasing the workload of marketers and reducing their impact.

One of the main ways AI is increasing the workload of marketers is by creating more data for them to analyze. With AI-powered tools, marketers can now collect and analyze vast amounts of data on consumer behavior, preferences, and trends. This data is invaluable for creating targeted marketing campaigns, but it also requires marketers to spend more time sifting through it to find actionable insights.

Additionally, AI is automating many of the tasks that were once done manually by marketers. While this may seem like a positive development, it also means that marketers have to learn new skills and adapt to new technologies. This can be a time-consuming process, and it can also lead to a feeling of being overwhelmed by the constant need to keep up with the latest advancements in AI.

Another way AI is reducing the impact of marketers is by making it easier for consumers to ignore marketing messages. With AI-powered ad blockers and spam filters, consumers can now easily avoid unwanted marketing communications. This means that marketers have to work harder to create content that is engaging and relevant enough to break through the noise.

Furthermore, AI is also making it easier for competitors to copy successful marketing strategies. With AI-powered tools, competitors can quickly analyze a successful campaign and replicate it, reducing the competitive advantage that marketers once had.

In conclusion, while AI has brought many benefits to the marketing industry, it has also increased the workload of marketers and reduced their impact. Marketers now have to spend more time analyzing data, learning new skills, and creating more engaging content to stay ahead of the competition. As AI continues to advance, it will be important for marketers to find ways to adapt and stay relevant in an increasingly automated world.