Closing the AI Skills Gap: Why 97% of CMOs See the Future, But Only 25% Are Prepared

The numbers reveal an extraordinary opportunity. While 97% of CMOs recognise that GenAI will radically reshape their marketing teams, only 25% have developed a skills strategy to navigate this transformation. For forward-thinking leaders, this represents a massive competitive advantage waiting to be claimed.

As Pete Markey, former CMO of Boots and TSB, frames it: “Marketers have to be the masters of their own destiny. The question isn’t whether transformation is coming, it’s whether you’ll lead it or follow it.”

Three Factors are Shaping AI Transformation in Marketing:

1. Strategic Prioritisation: Marketing teams are already running at capacity, it’s important to make thoughtful integrations rather than rushed implementation.
2. The Learning Opportunity: Marketing leaders are actively seeking the right partners and entry points, a hunger for knowledge that’s driving valuable industry collaboration.
3. The Leadership Moment: The question of ownership is an opportunity for marketing to step up and claim strategic leadership of this transformation.

Building Your AI Skills Strategy: A Top-Down Approach

The most successful marketing leaders are taking control of their AI destiny. Here’s how to build a comprehensive skills strategy from the top down:

Establish Marketing Leadership

Marketing must lead its own AI transformation. As Pete Markey emphasises: “Marketers have to be the masters of their own destiny.” Collaboration across teams is essential but you don’t have to outsource to begin strategising with AI.

Action step: Appoint AI champions within your organisation. Own the narrative and the strategy.

Audit Your Current AI Landscape

Before you can bridge the gap, you need to understand where you are. This means honest assessment of things like current AI tools, skill level and possible use cases for AI impact.

Start with Pilot Programs

Rather than organisation-wide transformation, begin with focused pilots. 52% of CMOs have already implemented GenAI trials. Be sure to measure both the efficiency gains and quality outcomes of those programs.

Focus on Mindset, Not Just Tools

The most critical shift isn’t technical, it’s psychological. Your team needs to evolve from tool users to strategic partners with AI. This means consistent learning and development, data-driven decision making and skill building in prompt creation.

Leverage Your Network

Don’t reinvent the wheel. As marketing leaders are discovering, “it’s leaning into existing relationships and saying, ‘within the network of who we work with, who can we start to work with?'”

Your Next Step: The AI Readiness Audit

Building an AI skills strategy starts with understanding exactly where you stand today. Take our AI Readiness Review, 30 essential questions every CMO should ask to assess their organisation’s AI maturity and identify the most impactful next steps.

Answer these questions and find out where you are!

Don’t be part of the 73% still waiting for clarity. The future of marketing is being written now, and you need to hold the pen.

Get the Framework