More than 8 out of 10 companies (84%) see AI as one of the trends that will have the greatest impact on marketing by 2027. “The pressure on marketing departments is increasing because more and more channels, formats and target groups need to be served in parallel with relevant, personalized content – and markets are changing ever faster,” says Dr Florian Bayer, Bitkom expert for digital marketing. “Artificial intelligence is also becoming increasingly important because it enables efficiency gains and noticeably reduces the workload of marketing teams.”
No successful marketing without AI – say two thirds
According to the Bitkom study, 67% are even convinced that marketing will no longer be successful in the future without the use of AI. More than half of companies (51 percent) believe that generative AI is already taking over a significant part of creative marketing work today. However, 52% say that marketing departments often lack the necessary skills to use AI effectively. “Artificial intelligence is no longer a nice-to-have in marketing, but a key productivity lever,” says Bayer. “For AI to develop its full potential, companies need to create the data infrastructure and make targeted investments in AI and the training of their employees – otherwise individual projects will remain without any measurable effect.”
Data-driven marketing and personalization are further important trends
In the trend ranking, AI is followed by a clear margin by data-driven marketing, which 6 out of 10 companies (62%) classify as a defining trend until 2027. Almost 4 out of 10 companies surveyed (39%) see personalization as one of the most influential trends by 2027. “Data makes marketing measurable, enables personalization and forms the basis for the effective use of artificial intelligence,” explains Bayer. “These trends are not separate developments, but must be interlinked so that the digital transformation in marketing can be successfully implemented.” The companies also cite other relevant marketing topics for the coming years: 35% see customer experience as one of the key trends, while 31% point to changes in the media and platform ecosystem such as consolidation or declining reach. Data protection and the cookieless future, social media marketing and influencer and creator marketing are each cited by 25% as relevant developments. 23% expect the growing importance of events – both physical and digital or hybrid. 19 percent see social commerce as one of the marketing trends that will have the greatest influence in Germany by 2027.
Marketing automation is important for companies
Data and data-based processes are the basis for automation in marketing and marketing automation. Artificial intelligence and personalization enhance this automation and make it more efficient and targeted. Marketing automation is relevant for the majority of companies surveyed: More than three quarters (76 percent) say that marketing automation will be important or somewhat important in the future, while for 14 percent its importance remains unchanged. Today, 43 percent of companies already use marketing automation internally. “Marketing is increasingly evolving from a purely creative or communication discipline to a data- and technology-driven core function of corporate management,” says Bayer. “Digitalization in marketing no longer just affects individual campaigns, but processes, structures and decisions throughout the entire company – our study shows this very clearly.”
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Further links
👉 www.bitkom.org
Graphic: Bitkom
