The Australian Centre for AI in Marketing (ACAM) has launched a global offshoot and is expanding its AI maturity benchmark into the United States through a partnership with The CMO Syndicate. The new Global Centre for AI in Marketing (GCAM) will deliver original research and evidence-led insight to help marketing leaders measure where their organisations stand, identify priorities, and build the capabilities needed to convert AI investment into measurable business value.
The US becomes GCAM's first international benchmark market. The CMO Syndicate, a global commercial growth and transformation firm founded by experienced chief marketing officers, will lead participation and ensure the benchmark reflects the operating realities of American marketing leaders. Findings from the inaugural US AI in Marketing Benchmark will be unveiled at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., in the last quarter of this year.
What the benchmark measures
The Global AI in Marketing Benchmark moves beyond studies that primarily track adoption rates or technology investment. Built specifically for the marketing function, it takes an independent, technology-agnostic approach to assessing whether marketing organisations are building the interconnected foundations required to generate sustainable value from AI.
GCAM's diagnostic evaluates organisations across seven maturity drivers: Leadership and Culture; Skills and Capability; Governance, Risk and Brand; Data and Technology Readiness; Use Cases and ROI; Team Design and Workflow; and Roadmap, Planning and Investment. Results are mapped across six maturity levels, giving marketing leaders clear visibility into where their organisation stands against industry peers and where to focus resources next.
The methodology builds on ACAM's 2026 Australian AI in Marketing Benchmark, conducted with Kantar and supported by IBM Australia. That research found 83 per cent of organisations remained at the early to mid stages of maturity, with none reaching the two highest levels. The result highlighted a critical gap between widespread AI experimentation and the organisational capability required to scale AI responsibly.
Closing the gap between investment and value
Louise Cummins, co-founder and CEO of ACAM and GCAM, said the international expansion addresses a widening gap between the pace of AI investment and organisations' ability to embed the leadership, capability and operating changes needed to create value.
"CMOs don't need more AI tools, they need credible intelligence that shows where their organisation stands, how it compares and what will make the greatest commercial difference next," Cummins said. "GCAM will turn benchmark insight into action. It gives marketing leaders the evidence needed to focus investment, strengthen executive and board conversations, build team capability and create a structured pathway from isolated pilots to responsible, measurable transformation."
Ani Matson, founding partner of The CMO Syndicate, said: "AI is advancing faster than most organisations can build the leadership, capabilities and governance needed to use it well. That makes it increasingly difficult for CMOs to know whether they are truly progressing or simply experimenting. The Global AI in Marketing Benchmark provides a credible way to understand where an organisation stands, where the gaps are and what to prioritise next."
The CMO Syndicate will also contribute to the GCAM Advisory Group and co-host the benchmark's launch at Georgetown University. ACAM will continue to develop and deliver the underlying research, capability programs and transformation methodologies, while GCAM provides the global platform through which benchmark intelligence and market collaboration expand.
For CMOs looking to build AI capability alongside benchmark participation, structured learning paths such as the AI Learning Path for CMOs offer a practical starting point. Broader AI for Marketing certifications can also help teams close the skills gaps that the benchmark is designed to surface.
Why this matters for marketing leaders
The benchmark gives CMOs a structured way to answer a question that boardrooms are asking with increasing urgency: are we actually getting value from AI, or just running pilots? The Australian data showed no organisation had reached the highest maturity levels. The US benchmark will establish a baseline for ongoing comparisons between the two markets and future participating countries, letting marketing leaders see exactly where they stand - and what needs to change next.
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