GenAI is no longer experimental, it is operational; adoption, ROI, and strategic investments surge in 2025
In just one year, marketers have dramatically advanced their use of Generative AI (GenAI), with 85% now actively deploying the technology-up from 75% in 2024 according to a new study from SAS and Coleman Parkes Marketers and AI: Navigating New Depths.
Eight in ten marketers are reporting a return on GenAI investment. Among CMOs and marketing teams using GenAI, 93% and 83% respectively report ROI.
“GenAI has officially moved from hype to essential marketing infrastructure,” said Jenn Chase, Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President at SAS. “With 85% of marketing teams actively embedding GenAI into daily workflows-the technology is no longer a pilot project but a core driver of marketing transformation. Benefits are extending far beyond just time and cost savings. Improved customer loyalty and increased sales are now directly attributed to GenAI-powered analytics and targeting.”
In 2024, marketers hoped GenAI would streamline operations and reduce costs. In 2025, they're seeing even more benefits: 94% report improved personalization, 91% cite efficiency in processing large datasets, and 90% confirm savings in time and operational costs. Nearly nine in ten marketers also report gains in predictive accuracy, customer loyalty, and sales.
Confidence in GenAI is rising fast. Today, 62% of marketers report a strong understanding of GenAI and its business impact, up from just 50% in 2024.
The momentum is clear with marketers reporting top uses of GenAI as:
— Chatbots (62%)
— Content generation (45%)
— Trend analysis (36%)
Emerging GenAI use cases include: deploying synthetic data (18%), exploring small language models (12%), and experimenting with digital twins (5%).
Investment is Rising These gains are enabling more autonomous, AI-driven marketing strategies across the board. Strategic commitment is also on the rise with 93% of marketing teams now budgeting for GenAI through 2026. GenAI is no longer a future consideration – it's a present-day imperative. Adopters are leading the way, integrating GenAI into workflows, expanding into agentic AI, and building the infrastructure to support autonomous decision-making.
The report is based on a new survey of 300 organizations worldwide, ranging from SMBs to enterprises with 10,000+ employees. The respondents are marketers who work at organizations across a range of industry sectors.
About SAS SAS is a global leader in data and AI. With SAS software and industry-specific solutions, organizations transform data into trusted decisions. SAS gives you THE POWER TO KNOW®.
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Editorial Contacts: Angela Lipscomb angela.lipscomb@sas.com 919-531-2525 sas.com/news
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