State of AI in Marketing’ Report - Decoding Key Report Highlights

The ‘State of AI in Marketing’ report released at MMA Global India’s 3rd edition of Data Unplugged presented groundbreaking numbers, reflecting the actual state of AI in marketing. The questions for the survey were meticulously curated in keeping with key focus areas such as the understanding of AI, availability of skill and training, and the experimentation of AI and its adoption by marketers. The survey was then sent out to over 100 marketing minds - challenging them to think and provide their point of view and perspective.

The panel discussion at Data Unplugged - ‘Decoding MMA India Survey: State of AI in Marketing’ - proved to be a worthy platform for key industry representatives to challenge or concur with the data points presented in the report.

Below is a quick highlight of the discussion:

54% concur that the adoption of AI in marketing within the Indian landscape is not effectively understood. 

The market is fragmented - a key observation is that some marketers are making significant and consistent progress - while others are ‘wishing AI away.’
The skill to handle platforms remains a key challenge, especially when marketers are exposed to negative news with legal implications.
There are cultural, awareness and educational barriers concerning the understanding of AI
Younger marketers are more open to experimentation with new technology, they tend to be the first movers.

According to the India report, 69% of the respondents say that ‘skill and training’ is a top challenge for AI inclusion in marketing. How important is skilling? What is the impact that we can hope to see?

There is a need within the industry to document learnings and Beta tests conducted for further inference and learnings.
Upskilling only works in the short-term. In organizations we see the focus being on upskilling - the focus must also be on re-skilling.
Being ‘Skilled’ in AI is the No1 Challenge which needs to be addressed. We might lose jobs to humans skilled with AI.

Just like data privacy is a journey, so is AI risk management and mitigation is an ongoing journey and requires continuous learning and nurturing. 72% voted Data privacy to be a primary risk factor specifically for gen AI adoption. How do we mitigate risks?

Looking inward within your organization to identify pre-existing core values can be a good start to framing an AI governance framework. Let your strong organizational framework trickle down into your existing framework.
A key challenge with data privacy comes in when organizations don’t talk to each other - this can be dangerous. There is nothing more concerning than teams working in silos.
Ensure cross-function compatibility and cross-agency compatibility will help greatly.

82% of marketers report to be exploring with Generative AI applications - be it use cases, research, pilots and other tools.  Share Use cases that are proving to be effective in your organizations.

It’s always good to work on a platform that is closer to the consumer - WhatsApp being a good example.
Using communities can play a crucial role in creating brand memorability and discoverability of the brand.

What measures can be taken to enable the industry and its representatives to drive the exploration and adoption of the correct and applicable Gen AI applications.  How can we as key industry members and representatives aid the discovery of Gen AI tools in content marketing?  

Ideation and brainstorming on AI within teams will enable the adoption of AI.

The adoption of AI is a collaborative effort, one which involves different maturity curves. The report highlights that 32% of the influence driving the charter for AI goes back to the CEO - hence we need to think of measures to help leaders make informed choices.

The effective adoption of AI will always need a lot more collaboration for the consumer to have the same experience that leads to driving conversations.

The panel brought insightful take-aways and nuances to the way AI is understood. The common consensus to help move the needle on AI adoption was the need for marketers to create stories that help drive the adoption of AI, while making a conscious effort to learn from each other.

At MMA Global India - championing AI is imperative as it propels marketers towards innovation and growth. MMA Global India takes on the collective goal to foster knowledge-sharing, be a part of the larger AI narrative as you shape the Future of AI in Marketing.

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Download the ‘State of AI in Marketing’ Study, here.

Panel: Led by Moderator - Moneka Khurana, Country Head, MMA Global India, Panelists: Aruna Balakrishna, Head - Consumer & Employer Branding - TATA AIA Life Insurance; Kunal Aman, Director and Head - Marketing and Communications, SAS India; Prashant Jain, MMA India Board Member, Senior Director Marketing, HP Inc; and Niraj Ruparel, Emerging Tech Lead, WPP & GroupM India.