At Cannes Lions, McKinsey released research showing that while 88% of companies use AI in marketing and most marketers are excited, fewer than 10% have captured real business value. The survey of more than 500 marketers also found that 57% feel anxious about AI's impact - and that anxiety reaches the very top, with 80% of chief marketing officers worried about their own jobs.
McKinsey's report, "From anxiety to advantage: A marketing organisation that thrives with AI," interviewed marketers and senior leaders across the globe. Kelsey Robinson, a McKinsey senior partner, unpacked the findings at the festival.
The disconnect between use and value
Over 60% of marketers use AI multiple times a week, yet fewer than one in ten organisations say they have seen meaningful returns. "There's this disconnect between usage and the aspiration, and real business impact," Robinson said. The broad adoption hasn't translated into widespread bottom-line gains, leaving many teams unsure how to bridge the gap.
Anxiety spreads across every role
Excitement is broad: 86% of marketers said they are enthusiastic about using AI in their jobs, and among CMOs that figure jumps to 96%. But anxiety runs parallel. Fifty-seven percent of all marketers reported feeling anxious, and 71% of CMOs said the same. Robinson pointed to the most striking stat: "What was most shocking to me is 80% of them were actually worried about their job." She had expected certain functions to be more fearful, but found little variation by role. Copywriters and creative ideation leads carried similar levels of concern.
Moving from efficiency to growth
Robinson said leaders must shift the internal narrative. "First, you really have to have a narrative that isn't just about efficiency," she said. "You have to have a growth aspiration, and it should unlock growth." Many companies approached AI as a cost-cutting tool, which makes marketing teams defensive. Leading firms, she added, are not waiting for perfect data. Instead they take a two-speed approach: test where AI can show value now - in customer support or early personalisation - while continuing to improve data foundations. CMOs tackling this shift can start with a dedicated AI Learning Path for CMOs to move from anxiety to advantage.
A phased transformation at Chime
Robinson pointed to fintech Chime as a standout case. The company's CMO treats AI adoption as a staged organisational change, not a technology rollout. Phase one normalised AI by giving teams tools that made daily work faster. Phase two transformed specific jobs, such as media optimisation. The results: campaign cycles dropped from ten weeks to four, and return on ad spend rose nearly 20 percent. "That is both efficiency and growth. They were able to talk about it as a growth driver and no longer needed to think these things are all trade-offs," Robinson said. Chime's third phase, reimagining entire workflows with "go-to-market AI factories," remains aspirational for most firms. For marketing teams that want to build these AI muscles step by step, a curated set of AI for Marketing Courses covers applications from analytics to creative.
Why this matters for marketing professionals
The risk of ignoring AI is not theoretical. "It might not be AI that takes your job, but it might be someone who's just better at using AI," Robinson said. The research suggests that the gap between companies that crack the value equation and those that don't will widen quickly. For marketers at every level, the path from anxiety to advantage starts with treating AI as a growth lever - and building the skills to use it.
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