What Do CMOs Get Wrong About AI Adoption in Marketing
Many CMOs recognize the importance of AI but struggle to turn adoption into meaningful impact. The issue is rarely technology. It is how AI is framed, led, and embedded into marketing operations. This piece outlines five leadership mistakes that quietly derail AI adoption, from treating AI as a tool rollout to expecting ROI without changing workflows, and explains what successful CMOs do differently to make AI a durable marketing capability across teams and decision making.
Why Governance Enables Responsible AI in Marketing
Governance is the foundation that enables responsible AI use in marketing. It protects brand trust while giving teams clarity about what is allowed and how to move forward with confidence. This post explains why CMOs must own AI governance, how a marketing governance council operates, and the five pillars that ensure AI tools, use cases, inputs, outputs, and disclosures are managed responsibly and at scale.
The discipline behind sustainable AI in marketing
Sustainable Artificial Intelligence in Marketing is not about tool access. It is about repeatable habits that save time without breaking brand standards. On this episode of the Marketing AI SparkCast, Spark Novus founder Aby Varma speaks with Frank Lazaro, author of Finding Twelve Minutes, about making AI adoption practical through small daily wins. The focus is measurable capacity, faster iteration, consistent voice, and responsible human oversight so AI Marketing Strategies scale beyond power users and perform under pressure.
AI and CMOs in 2026: From Scattered Activity to Thoughtful Execution
AI is no longer an experiment for CMOs — it’s central to growth, efficiency, and competitive relevance in 2026. Marketing leaders must shift from fragmented tool adoption to intentional execution grounded in strategy, measurable outcomes, strong governance, and people readiness. Scattered activity creates fragmentation and risk. Prioritizing strategy before tools, running focused pilots, and aligning teams accelerates adoption. When integrated thoughtfully, AI becomes an operating capability that drives repeatable impact.
Building an AI-Ready Marketing Organization in 2026
Marketing teams are adopting AI faster than they are building the skills to use it well. This guide explains why structured AI training is now essential for productivity, quality, and governance. It outlines the capabilities modern marketers need, the workflows where AI drives the most impact, and how organizations can turn scattered experimentation into consistent, measurable performance. Designed for marketing leaders seeking clarity, confidence, and a practical path to building an AI ready team.
Marketing Productivity Playbook: 5 Quick AI Wins to Do More With Less
This playbook helps marketing leaders unlock practical, near term productivity gains by focusing on five quick wins that can be implemented in weeks, not months. It shows how AI and workflow automation free up capacity, accelerate campaigns, improve reporting, surface customer insights, and extend the value of existing content. With simple workflows, measurable impact models, and a 30/60/90 day roadmap, it offers a clear starting point for doing more with what you already have.
Top 10 AI Driven Marketing Shifts to Watch Closely in 2026
Marketers are closing out the year with a clear view of what will matter most in 2026. AI driven workflows will shift teams toward strategy and creativity, and generative tools will focus on producing substance rather than speed. Martech systems will operate as connected ecosystems, video will become an always on format, and paid media will evolve toward deeper automation. Discovery will move through generative search, engagement will grow conversational, AI will reveal clearer insights, browsers will become agent aware, and trust will define advantage.
What Are AI Agents and How Are They Starting to Help Marketing Professionals
AI agents are beginning to support marketing teams by handling structured, rules based tasks that benefit from consistency and speed. They can draft campaign briefs, surface early audience segments, suggest basic workflows, and automate repetitive operational work. Martech platforms like Salesforce Agentforce, HubSpot Breeze, Adobe Experience Platform Agent Orchestrator, Conversica, and Demandbase Agentbase offer early examples of these capabilities. While agents are not autonomous or strategic, experimentation now helps teams understand where they add value and prepares them for more advanced capabilities ahead.