Marketing Data and AI on the Rise, Salesforce Reports

Courtesy of: Salesforce

In Salesforce’s recently released State of Marketing report the vendor found the application of AI and marketing data on the rise from last year by significant percentages. The report, published annually to help marketers prepare for the next year, shows that while the use of AI is up across the board, that marketers are not fully satisfied with the options provided therein.

The report projects that use of meaningful data in marketing will grow by 50 percent in 2019, doubling last year’s estimates. Marketers noted a 20 percent growth in their data sources from last year and 52 percent of the survey population reported sharing their data with sales teams to promote synergy and higher conversion rates.

Over half of all media marketers surveyed showcased a dedication to going above and beyond the industry standard in preserving the privacy customers’ data. “It seems like media marketing departments are savvier in general, especially when it comes to managing and using data at scale, whether for AI or multi-channel marketing to drive performance,” said Chris Jacob, Director of Product Marketing at Salesforce.

The study, based on the input of 4,100 marketers globally, shows that adoption of AI has increased overall by 44 percent in the last year. This stands in contrast to the 70 percent of those surveyed who stated a discontent with their AI’s privacy options. Jacob noted that the balance of maintaining leads’ trust when using AI will be crucial for marketers going forward.

In a similar vein, 87 percent of the total population surveyed stated that personalization of AI and more meaningful customer interaction experiences with the technology are the keys to improving customer relations and sales.

Six industries were represented in the population sampling of the report, including healthcare/life sciences, retail/consumer goods, finance, manufacture, transport/hospitality, and media. The sample size included marketers from Canada, Brazil, New Zealand France, Germany, India, Japan, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

You can read more here, or you can check out the report in its entirety.