7 Ways to Drive Growth and Stay Competitive with Data and AI

Marketing teams are under pressure to do more with data and AI while customers pay closer attention to how their information is used. This article covers seven priorities, each with survey data. Three sources carry the numbers: the sixth edition of Salesforce’s “State of the Connected Customer” report (14,300 consumers and business buyers worldwide), its newer edition, “State of the AI Connected Customer,” and Gartner’s 2026 CMO Spend Survey. Where the newer edition covers the same question, we use its figure.

1. How do you use data and AI to personalize?

Customers expect it. In the sixth edition of Salesforce’s research, 73% of customers expect better personalization as technology advances. AI helps by finding patterns in behavior and automating segments, so a team can tailor content without building every variation by hand.

2. Do customers still feel like a number?

Less than they used to. In Salesforce’s newer edition, 73% of customers say companies treat them like an individual rather than a number, up from 39% in the company’s earlier survey. In the sixth edition, 65% of customers expected companies to adapt to their changing needs and preferences. In our view, the work now is to use data to remember and respond, such as a preference noted once and used everywhere, and not only to segment.

3. How clear should you be about how you use data?

Very. In Salesforce’s newer edition, 71% of customers feel increasingly protective of their personal information, and 64% believe companies are reckless with customer data. In the sixth edition, 71% said they were more likely to trust a company with personal data if its use is clearly explained, and 51% said most companies do not use their data in ways that benefit them. A short, plain explanation of what you collect and what customers get in return is a good place to start.

4. What safeguards does AI need?

Customers want a person involved, and they want to know when AI is involved. In Salesforce’s research:

• 74% of customers are concerned about the unethical use of AI (sixth edition).
• 80% say it is important for a human to validate the output of AI (sixth edition).
• 61% say AI advancements make it even more important for companies to be trustworthy (newer edition).
• 72% say it is important to know if they are communicating with an AI agent (newer edition).

In our view, that supports review steps for anything AI writes or decides before it reaches a customer, and a clear label when a customer is talking to an AI agent.

5. How do you connect the journey across channels?

Customers notice the seams. The sixth edition found that 79% expect consistent interactions across departments, yet 55% say it generally feels like they are communicating with separate departments rather than one company. Another 56% say they often have to repeat or re-explain information. We cover the topic in more depth in what omnichannel retail is.

6. Is your team ready to scale AI?

Spending is moving faster than readiness. In Gartner’s 2026 CMO Spend Survey, conducted January through March 2026 among 401 marketing leaders, CMOs allocated an average of 15.3% of marketing budgets to AI. Seventy percent said becoming an AI leader is a critical goal, but only 30% reported mature or fully developed AI readiness. Ewan McIntyre, Gartner’s VP Analyst and Chief of Research for marketing, warned that CMOs risk investing in AI tools faster than they build the data foundations, processes, governance, and talent needed to scale them.

The vast majority of respondents reported annual revenue of over $1 billion, so smaller teams may see different numbers.

7. How do you measure results when budgets are flat?

The same Gartner survey found marketing budgets effectively flat at 7.8% of company revenue in 2026, from 7.7% in 2025, and 56% of CMOs said their marketing organization lacks the budget required to deliver its 2026 strategy. In our view, that makes measurement a habit and not a project: define the behavior you want to change, track it, and move spend toward what works.

How should a team get started?

In our view, five steps keep a program grounded:

1. Pick one customer journey and one clear use of data.
2. Write down, in plain language, what you collect and what customers get.
3. Add a human review step before AI-generated content or decisions reach customers.
4. Fix the data and process gaps before buying more tools.
5. Choose one measure of success and review it every month.

For examples of AI beyond chatbots, see practical AI for hospitality, and our services page explains how we work.

Planning a data and AI program for your brand? Talk to us.