71% CMOs plan to invest over $10 million annually in generative AI: BCG report

Despite a challenging economic landscape, 71% of Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) plan to invest more than USD 10 million annually in generative AI (GenAI) over the next three years, according to a new report from Boston Consulting Group (BCG). The figure marks a significant increase from 57% in 2024, indicating growing momentum behind GenAI adoption in the marketing function.

BCG’s 2025 report, How CMOs Are Scaling GenAI in Turbulent Times, is based on a global survey conducted in April and May among CMOs across Asia, Europe, and North America. Optimism among marketing leaders continues to rise, with 83% expressing confidence in GenAI's potential this year, compared to 74% in 2023.

Over a third of CMOs surveyed said they have observed improvements in customer experience, content quality, and output volume due to GenAI deployment. However, fewer cited productivity and efficiency gains compared to last year. Still, 60% expect GenAI to drive revenue growth of 5% or more in their areas of focus.

“As CMOs in India and globally navigate an increasingly dynamic business landscape, what stands out is that GenAI is no longer a future consideration—it’s a present-day growth lever,” said Parul Bajaj, India Leader - Marketing, Sales & Pricing at BCG. “With over 70% of global CMOs planning to invest upwards of USD 10 million annually and 60% expecting incremental growth of 5% or more, the momentum is unmistakable. The real impact of GenAI can be seen in personalization at scale, accelerating content velocity, especially across immersive formats like video, and reimagining end-to-end customer journeys.

“At the same time, there is a clear need to strengthen measurement and build internal capabilities. It’s particularly encouraging to see B2B marketers leading the charge in areas like AI agents, custom product descriptions, and predictive analytics—reflecting a clear intent to integrate GenAI into both strategic planning and operational execution.”

CMOs are prioritizing investment in areas such as immersive content creation, personalization, and agentic AI. Video generation, in particular, was flagged by 30% of respondents as a key next step. Many have already scaled predictive analytics capabilities, with applications like product recommendations and next-best content timing. More advanced use cases—including churn prediction and audience optimization—are being piloted.

AI agents are becoming increasingly important, especially among B2B marketers. One-third of B2B CMOs and nearly one-quarter of B2C CMOs cited AI agents as a high investment priority, pointing to their utility in reshaping marketing workflows.

“GenAI is rapidly becoming embedded in the marketing function,” said Mark Abraham, Managing Director at BCG and global leader of the firm’s personalization business. “Even in the current turbulent macroeconomic environment, we’re seeing CMOs invest in shifting from isolated pilots to scaled GenAI use cases, enhancing personalization and marketing operations.”

Despite the increasing investment, CMOs are de-emphasizing ROI measurement. When asked about priorities for enhancing the digital customer experience, GenAI-driven marketing ROI measurement ranked last. Instead, many are relying on earlier investments in first-party data collection.

Talent development, however, remains a sustained area of focus. CMOs are responding to the GenAI talent gap by upskilling existing teams through hackathons, incubator studios, and interactive demos rather than depending heavily on new hires.

“In conversations with CMOs, it’s clear that GenAI has become a core part of how modern marketing teams operate,” said Lauren Wiener, a BCG managing director and global lead for the firm’s Marketing practice. “What separates the winners is a commitment not just to scaling the technology, but to empowering the people who use it. Those CMOs investing in tools and talent are the ones rewriting the playbook.”