The Marketer’s Lens: What Marketers Think about Creative and AI
Welcome to the second installment of ‘The Marketers Lens: What Marketers Think About Creative and AI. ‘ The first installment, available here, examined marketers’ thoughts about Commerce Media.
The Marketers Lens survey’s purpose was to gain a basic understanding of what marketing professionals were thinking and feeling about three hot topics: Commerce Media, Creative AI, and Media Measurement. This is the second installment, which outlines the survey’s key findings. In this episode, we’re looking at marketers’ views of Creative and AI. Although the survey respondents were primarily based in the U.S., the findings are likely to apply to other markets. Please get in touch with us if you would like further information about our range of services and products.
Key Creative and AI Takeaways
- Google (70%) remains the most dominant digital channel for which marketers develop creative, followed by Meta.
- 83% of respondents feel there is room for improvement with their digital creatives. The leading barrier cited was the need for more budget (62% of respondents).
- 58% of respondents leverage AI for creatives, with the leading use cases still being image-based (51%) and copywriting (47%).
- 1 in 5 leverage AI for various creative outputs, including video, voiceover, and animation.
- 50% of respondents have concerns about the use of AI in the creative process
Digging Deeper into the Data
1. Creative teams have hit a crunch point
Creative teams are time, budget, and resource poor, respondents said creative could be improved with:
- More budget (63%)
- More resources (48%)
- More time (47%)
As one respondent said; “We don’t improve. We are extremely resource-constrained, so any creative work is good.”
2. AI has become mainstream in Creative development, but requires oversight
61% of respondents plan to use AI tools in the next 12 months, as Allita Crasto, Global Head of Creative, said, “We are in an era of balancing agility and scalability, content must be created faster, personalized at scale, and optimized for multiple platforms. AI is becoming essential to that equation, helping teams keep up with demand. However, while automation can enhance efficiency, the real challenge is ensuring creative remains impactful, brand-aligned, and strategically driven. The best results come when AI and human creativity work hand in hand.”
3. Gone are the days of a 6-week or quarterly creative campaign refresh
80% of respondents said they use AI to refresh creatives daily or weekly. Only 4% of respondents rarely use AI to develop creative.
“We are in an era of balancing agility and scalability, content must be created faster, personalized at scale, and optimized for multiple platforms. AI is becoming essential to that equation, helping teams keep up with demand. However, while automation can enhance efficiency, the real challenge is ensuring creative remains impactful, brand-aligned, and strategically driven. The best results come when AI and human creativity work hand in hand.”
Allita Crasto, Global Head of Creative
4. 50.83% of respondents have concerns about the use of AI in the creative process
However, just because most creative teams are using AI doesn’t mean there are no concerns that these platforms are becoming increasingly widespread. 50.83% of respondents stated concerns about using AI in the creative process, which were felt across a range of areas:
“These concerns are genuine, which is why an approach of ‘AI-driven, human-curated’ can be helpful. Most brands have strong brand guidelines to adhere to, and that is why human oversight is crucial to get the right balance between minds and machines.” Allita Crasto, Global Head of Creative
Allita Crasto, Global Head of Creative
Allita continues, “This data shows exactly why ‘AI-driven, human curated’ is so important. Advertisers will always need a creative person to oversee the interaction with an AI tool or platform, add intelligence through nuance, review for emotion, and ensure the output aligns with the brand’s needs. As the industry shifts more and more towards AI, it’s essential not just to be curious about AI-driven platforms, but to adapt them into our routine.”
In Summary
The role of Creative in performance marketing is evolving rapidly. Marketers are embracing AI to scale content, but the challenge remains—how do we balance efficiency with impact? AI in creative development is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’ – it’s an essential tool. The ability to scale content, personalize messaging, and adapt to platform demands drives its adoption. However, the best results are achieved when AI is used as an enabler, rather than a replacement for human creativity.
Contact us to discuss your Creative and AI needs with the M+C Saatchi Performance team
Related Reading
The Marketer’s Lens, what Marketers think about Commerce Media
