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AI has dominated the conversation in marketing over the last two years. You’d think that the nonstop hype would put interest in AI on ice and transform all the excitement into eye-rolling and sighs of resignation at its every mention. But that hasn’t happened. Not yet, anyway.
Our 2024-25 State of AI in B2C Digital Marketing Report shows that excitement and optimism about AI continue to grow. Since our last report, AI has still dazzled marketers as it exceeds expectations for ROI and usability. Plans to increase investment in new AI tech remain nearly universal, and over 90% report they will have dedicated budgets for it next year. Even the ever-present fear of AI taking all our jobs is fizzling as more marketers see it as a job creator, not a people replacer.
It’s not all robo-hugs and kisses, of course. Barriers to adoption remain, and after a year of experimentation and research, marketers seem more cognizant of them. Data security and a lack of knowledge (despite continued confidence in AI expertise) are still concerns. And counter to the enthusiasm, many more marketers seem to think they are now moving too fast and investing too much in AI.
Check out the must-see takeaways below, get the full report to see how things have changed over the last year (or not!), and find out where you lie on the spectrum of AI elation and panic. Just like last year, your career may depend on it.
The big question on every marketing leader’s mind is, what’s the ROI of AI? New AI solutions for marketers promising everything from increased productivity, accelerated revenue growth, and faster decision-making hit the street daily. But are they worth the cost? The answer is a resounding yes. AI tools exceeded ROI expectations for 80% of the survey respondents, with only 3% saying that it missed the mark.
Marketers’ view of AI's overall impact is also overwhelmingly positive, with only 6% saying that it will have no impact or a somewhat negative impact on their organization.
The AI experience was overwhelmingly positive for marketers in 2024, as 93% reported positive experiences with the tools they implemented. You can just about see them holding fistfuls of cash in the air and screaming, “Take my money!” as 95% say that their experience has made them more likely to increase their AI investments.
Almost none reported a negative experience, reduced likelihood of investment, or not implementing AI tools at all.
Marketers are a bit less concerned about AI replacing jobs than last year. The number of those who think AI will create more jobs than it replaces increased by 7%. However, 40% still think AI will cause displacement, while fewer believe nothing will change.
While the split on the potential for job displacement has grown, so has the firm belief that AI will positively impact marketing organizations.
B2C marketers will increase their investment in AI again in 2025, with nearly 90% of respondents saying they will spend more. 91% said they will have a dedicated budget for AI tools, a 5% increase over last year. Given the positive experiences and solid ROI they are seeing, this should not come as a huge surprise.
Interestingly, this year, marketers at larger companies say they’ll significantly increase their AI investment at a higher rate than small companies. Last year, only 27% of respondents at larger companies said they would significantly increase their AI investment. That jumped to 41% for 2025, bringing them slightly above smaller companies, whose plans to increase investment have stayed the same over the last year.
After two years of exponential AI spending increases, more marketers feel that it’s too much, too soon. This contradicts all the other responses about AI investment, but the number of those who think their companies are spending too much on AI has increased 11% since last year.
This speaks to the importance of investing in the right AI tools, not all the AI tools.
Ready to dig deeper into the state of AI? Get the full report to learn more.
