Generative AI (GenAI) is reshaping the marketing landscape with promises of speed, scale, and enhanced creativity. Yet despite 92% of marketers expressing optimism about its potential, real-world adoption remains slow. According to a recent BCG survey, only one-third of marketers regularly use GenAI in their workflows, revealing a clear gap between excitement and execution.
Why the hesitation? Several factors hold teams back:
- Quality concerns: Marketers doubt GenAI’s ability to meet the creative standards required for branding and video.
- Technical limitations: Glitches and inconsistencies still plague many GenAI tools.
- Limited training: Without prompt engineering skills or process know-how, teams struggle to use GenAI effectively.
To close the gap, marketing leaders should focus on three strategic moves:
- Upskilling teams – Teaching employees how to structure prompts and integrate GenAI into creative thinking boosts both output and confidence.
- Reimagining workflows – Instead of retrofitting AI into outdated processes, redesign them around GenAI capabilities. A BCG case study showed this led to a 30–40% reduction in FTE hours.
- Using best-of-breed tools – Moving beyond one-size-fits-all models to specialized GenAI platforms tailored for content, design, or research yields better results.
As GenAI tools mature, they require thoughtful human input to reach full potential. When marketers treat these tools as co-creators—not just automators—they unlock the real value of GenAI.
