GenAI drives marketing ROI as 85% of teams expand adoption
More than 80% of marketers worldwide are now actively using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in their operations, according to a new global study by SAS and Coleman Parkes.
The study, titled Marketers and AI: Navigating New Depths, surveyed 300 organisations across different regions and found that the adoption of GenAI among marketing teams has progressed well beyond early experimentation, with strong indications of operational maturity in 2025.
Industry adoption and ROI
The research revealed that 93% of chief marketing officers (CMOs) utilising GenAI reported a clear return on investment. A similar impact has been seen among broader marketing teams, with 83% noting positive financial outcomes from GenAI use. In EMEA, the average ROI among both groups stood at 85%.
The benefits cited include improvements in personalisation-reported by 94% of respondents-more efficient processing of large datasets (91%), and reductions in time and operational costs (90%). Nearly 90% also identified gains in predictive accuracy, customer loyalty, and sales linked to implementing the technology.
These outcomes suggest an evolution in the role of artificial intelligence within marketing departments. As companies move forward, 93% of marketing teams are planning budget allocations for GenAI initiatives into 2026.
Changing usage and increased understanding
There has been a noticeable shift in how marketers deploy GenAI. Chatbots remain the most commonly used application, with 62% of teams leveraging them. Generating text and copy follows at 45%. Notably, trends analysis now occupies the third spot (36%), and customer journey mapping has climbed into the top five use cases at 22%, previously ranking eighth in 2024.
In terms of the types of GenAI being implemented, 77% reported using large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Grok. Other approaches include the deployment of synthetic data (18%), exploration of small language models (12%), and experimentation with digital twins (5%).
The report also indicates that marketers' understanding of GenAI and its business value has grown significantly. Currently, 62% of those surveyed state they have a robust understanding of the technology's impacts, up from 50% in the previous year.
Strategic priorities and impact on operations
The operational shift is leading to increased strategic focus. The authors found that more organisations are embedding autonomous, AI-driven strategies to respond swiftly to market changes and customer behaviour.
"GenAI is no longer a future consideration - it's a present-day imperative - and it has officially moved from hype to essential marketing infrastructure," said Jenn Chase, Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President at SAS. "With 85% of marketing teams actively embedding GenAI into daily workflows - the technology is no longer a pilot project but a core driver of marketing transformation. Benefits are extending far beyond just time and cost savings. Improved customer loyalty and increased sales are now directly attributed to GenAI-powered analytics and targeting."
The surveyed organisations come from a mixture of small and medium-sized businesses as well as enterprises with over 10,000 employees, with representation from a variety of industry sectors across regions including EMEA.
Overall, the figures suggest that GenAI has become a central part of day-to-day marketing operations, with organisations expressing greater confidence in the benefits gained and increasing their commitment to further investment in the technology in the coming years.
