Features:
Jay Patisal, Vice President, Principal Analyst; Lisa Gately, Principal Analyst
Show note:
For marketers, awe of generative AI (genAI) has been replaced by the realization that implementation is a daunting task. The team is discovering that genAI is not a simple or straightforward solution, but rather a continuously evolving technology that requires persistence and patience. In this week's podcast episode, VP and Principal Analyst Jay Pattisall and Principal Analyst Lisa Gately discuss the current state of genAI adoption among marketers and how to unlock the technology's full potential.
Pattisall begins by sharing research data from Forrester that shows the share of marketing organizations using genAI. From the first to the second quarter of 2023, the share tripled from 19% to 56%, but in the fourth quarter it returned to 26%. This “just signaled that the honeymoon period was somewhat over and the complexity and hard work of adoption had begun,” he says. “It's not as simple as just producing a copy.”
Next, he and Gately discuss some of the things that are holding marketers back from fully adopting generative AI, including a sole focus on efficiency as a business case and a lack of AI literacy and vision. Digging down the barriers. Marketers have long leveraged his AI for advertising and lead scoring, Gately says, but have struggled to “distinguish between what generative AI or AI can do and what humans do.” Regulatory unknowns and fear of job interruption or loss are also obstacles.
Next, the analysts describe four groups of marketing leaders based on their level of genAI adoption. Explorers experimenting with genAI use cases. Those who are interested in genAI but have not yet experimented with it. Rejectors are a small group who have no intention of using genAI. Gately and Pattisall discuss the opportunities for each group and how they can move on to the next level.
In the second half of the episode, the analyst shares a three-part framework for marketers who want to implement generative AI in a strategic and sustainable way. We also introduce some examples of companies and agencies that have successfully implemented genAI, so please refer to them.
To learn more about how genAI can help you succeed in marketing, check out Forrester's B2B Summit North America and CX Summit event agendas. Each will include sessions on building a genAI strategy, differentiating with genAI capabilities, and more.
