Lack of A.I in digital marketing is impacting marketing initiatives, a report reveals

According to Gartner, a Global Research and Advisory Company,  a lack of artificial intelligence and machine learning usage in digital marketing is causing a significant issue for marketers looking to deliver personalized experiences to customers.

In its new report, the analyst firm revealed that almost two-thirds (63%) of digital marketers struggle with this issue, from a survey of 350 marketing leaders from November 2020 through December 2020.

One of the main problems is that digital marketing leaders are scaling their use of AI and ML to align with customer retention and acquisition goals rather than across the marketing function.  However, 84% of digital marketing leaders believe using AI/ML enhances the marketing function’s ability to deliver real-time, personalized experiences to customers.

Gartner says many digital marketers believe bringing automation, scale, and efficiency to marketing activities across channels is the greatest value of AI/ML tools.

Gartner says that digital marketing leaders who are focused on strategy should consider the following:

Create a personalization roadmap

Develop an organizational framework that ties the deployment of emerging technologies to strategic digital marketing objectives. Factor in near-term costs and longer-term ROI projections as well as quantifiable impacts on the digital experience.

Leverage existing technologies first

Maximize what can be achieved with personalization by leveraging existing tools in conjunction with available data and content before committing to new technologies. Marketing organizations should use AI and ML tools to mature their efforts by driving greater marketing engagement.