A few articles on AI and Marketing

No, it is not your imagination, Teach the 4Ps posts a lot about AI and marketing. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, our textbook was last revised before the generative AI revolution. While the book includes a lot of AI examples, I think we can all agree that ChatGPT changed everything. Second, I am in the midst of revising Essentials of Marketing and I am reading quite a bit about AI. So I want to share what I am learning. Here are a few things you might want to check out. Note: AI helped me with summaries of the articles below.

• “1 in 3 Marketers Believe AI Will Revolutionize Marketing” (March 18, 2025). Yes, that provocative headline might catch your eye and be one more reason I am posting a lot on AI. Marketers are increasingly aware of AI’s potential, though actual automation in their work remains limited. One-third believe AI will revolutionize marketing through greater efficiency and personalization, while another third see it as a useful tool but not transformational. Concerns remain strong, especially around losing creativity (54%), over-reliance on AI (42%), and ethical issues (40%). Still, adoption is growing, and 76% agree that failing to embrace AI will put businesses at a serious competitive disadvantage. This short article links to the following more detailed report.
• The 2025 Evolution of AI in Marketing report by Ascend2 reveals that most marketers view AI as a successful tool for achieving their goals, especially in areas like content creation, email optimization, and ad targeting. However, challenges such as high costs, integration issues, and ethical concerns remain major barriers. While trust in AI is growing, most professionals still prefer to validate AI insights with human judgment. Looking ahead, over three-quarters believe companies that don’t adopt AI will fall behind competitively.
• “Unlocking profitable B2B growth through gen AI” (March 2025) This McKinsey report outlines seven high-impact ways generative AI is reshaping B2B sales—from smarter lead prioritization and personalized outreach to proposal writing, dynamic pricing, and coaching. Real-world case studies show gen AI’s ability to boost sales productivity, shorten deal cycles, and improve customer experiences. Adoption is still early, but high-growth companies are already using gen AI to unlock new revenue and gain a competitive edge. The key takeaway: successful deployment depends on starting with real sales problems, focusing on seller needs, and balancing quick wins with long-term capability building.
• As regular readers know, I love the Marketoonist (Tom Fishburne). I like to show his funny and insightful cartoons in my classes. Here are a couple recent ones on AI. Be sure to scroll down and read Tom’s excellent insights. If you like these, sign up for Tom’s weekly newsletter.
  • “AI-First” (March 24, 2025)
  • “AI Low Hanging Fruit” (February 24, 2025)