AI is helping marketing teams move faster, but the savings are harder to find. In Dentsu Creative’s 2026 global CMO report, 71% of respondents report faster time to market, while 70% say AI has not delivered significant cost efficiencies.

Based on Dentsu ·

More output is not the same as better results

The report, announced on 30 September, draws on 1,950 senior marketing leaders across 14 markets. Some 74% say that producing more assets does not automatically improve effectiveness. A further 76% worry about generating more content without greater visibility or results.

These are leaders’ assessments of their organisations, rather than an audit of campaign accounts. Even so, the combination challenges the assumption that shorter production cycles will automatically reduce marketing costs.

The pressure to look different

Dentsu also finds that 78% see a risk of sameness when brands optimise for algorithms. Some 87% say differentiation is becoming more important, and 81% view human creativity as essential.

The report describes a tension in AI adoption: production becomes easier at the same time that distinctive work becomes harder to secure. Measuring asset volume alone would miss both the cost question and the creative one.

Sources

Written with AI assistance from the sources above. The marketing implications are our interpretation. Our editorial approach.