Marketing's New Operating Model for the AI Era

This IDC Perspective explores how AI is reshaping marketing's operating model, leadership, roles, and performance metrics. While AI adoption accelerates productivity and innovation, most organizations remain early in their AI maturity journey, facing challenges in governance, change management, and aligning technology with business outcomes. The document examines how CMOs are transforming their marketing operating models in response to AI and offers recommended actions for fellow CMOs navigating the shift from AI experimentation to enterprise-scale adoption."Marketing's AI gap isn't technological; it's organizational," said Sudhir Rajagopal, research director, IDC CMO Advisory. "Marketing workflow redesign, governance architecture, new marketing roles, and change management must move together with AI tech adoption. The CMOs pulling ahead are fundamentally rebuilding how marketing operates, makes decisions, and drives business growth across the enterprise."