{"id":74141,"date":"2026-07-28T16:17:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T15:17:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=74141"},"modified":"2026-07-28T16:17:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T15:17:16","slug":"marketers-ai-data-foundation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/uk\/news\/stories\/marketers-ai-data-foundation\/","title":{"rendered":"Marketers are Embracing AI. Can They Close the Execution Gap?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In marketing, there are a few constants: the boundless creativity of our teams, the quest to prove ROI, and the delicate balance between art and science at the heart of it all. But today, the rules of engagement are changing at a speed we\u2019ve never seen before, and marketing\u2019s remit is expanding just as fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our tenth State of Marketing report<\/a> from Salesforce captures this pivotal moment. The rise of AI agents is no longer a future concept\u2014it\u2019s a reality that drove $262 billion in online sales this past holiday season alone. However, this growth reveals a critical \u201cexecution gap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Data-First Foundation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Looking at the top priorities for marketers today, AI occupies the top two spots: implementation and operationalisation. While it\u2019s encouraging to see the industry embracing AI to drive efficiency, there is a significant risk in prioritising the tool over the foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You cannot scale AI effectively without a unified data strategy. Today\u2019s customers move effortlessly between websites, messaging apps, social platforms, and in-store, and they expect seamless, real-time interactions at every turn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Execution Gap<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The old marketing playbook\u2014built around broad, one-way campaigns\u2014no longer applies. Today\u2019s customers don\u2019t want campaigns; they want conversations. While 83% of marketers acknowledge this, 69% admit they struggle to respond quickly enough to meet that demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the heart of this gap is data. It is the backbone of agentic AI, yet 98% of marketing teams report at least one data-related barrier to personalisation. When data is fragmented or trapped in silos, AI simply cannot deliver the relevant experiences customers expect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The complexity here is real. Agentic marketing requires integrating data from an average of seven different sources. Without unifying that data, AI cannot deliver the personalised, real-time experiences customers expect. The result? 51% of marketers say campaigns still feel generic, according to our survey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What High Performers Do Differently<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some organisations are already showing what success looks like. High-performing marketing teams have made one critical shift: they\u2019ve done the hard work of connecting their data and developing AI fluency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compared to their peers, these teams report 20% increases in ROI and customer satisfaction, using AI agents to provide round-the-clock responsiveness at a scale that human teams alone cannot manage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the most striking finding is the human impact. Marketers using AI agents are reclaiming around eight hours a week\u2014an entire working day given back to focus on strategy, storytelling, and creativity. These are the marketers who are starting to close the execution gap: not by replacing people, but by giving them back the time to do what they do best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n