Consumers today expect the same things from brands as they do from an assistant based on artificial intelligence: instant responses, natural conversations and highly personalized experiences. However, many organizations are not yet prepared to meet these expectations.
This is one of the main conclusions of the tenth edition of the “State of Marketing” report prepared by Salesforce, a global study that collects the opinions of 4,400 marketing managers from around the world, including 150 professionals in Spain.
The Salesforce report shows a growing gap between what customers expect and what companies are able to deliver in terms of interaction and personalization. According to data collected in Spain, 83% of marketing professionals acknowledge that they continue to carry out generic campaigns, while 74% admit to having difficulties responding quickly to customer requests.
From campaigns to conversations
The evolution of consumer behavior is forcing us to rethink the traditional approach to marketing. If for years the strategy has been based on one-way campaigns, customers now expect to have real conversations with brands. In fact, 83% of marketing professionals in Spain say that consumers want to be able to respond to marketing messages and obtain a response in real time. However, lack of access to the appropriate context and necessary data hinders this ability to respond.
As María Ángeles Santos, Regional Vice President of Salesforce, explains, there is an evident gap between current strategies and user expectations: “The gap between what we do – campaigns – and what they want – conversations – has never been greater. But, for the first time, we have the technology to close it.”
This transformation is largely driven by the rise of large language models (LLMs), which are changing the way users search for information, discover products, and make purchasing decisions.
Artificial intelligence enters the marketing strategy
The report notes that artificial intelligence has become a top priority for marketing departments. In fact, adapting or implementing AI to improve marketing results appears to be one of the most important challenges for those responsible for the area, even above classic metrics such as return on investment (ROI).
According to the study data, 75% of marketing professionals already use artificial intelligence tools in their processes. Among the most common use cases are content generation, data analysis or consumer behavior prediction.
The adoption of these technologies is not only allowing us to automate tasks, but also freeing up time for strategic activities. Professionals who use AI agents report improvements in productivity and results, with benefits that in many cases reach double-digit figures.
Laura Guzmán, Area Vice President of Salesforce, emphasizes that many organizations are already working on this paradigm shift: “All companies are building the agentic part that is linked to data and we expect an immediate impact on results.” In addition, Salesforce highlights the role of so-called “Two-Way Conversations”, an approach focused on allowing brands to maintain two-way and automated interactions with customers on different channels.
The data challenge
Despite the potential of artificial intelligence, most organizations continue to face a key obstacle: data. The study reveals that only 26% of marketers are satisfied with the way they connect their data across departments. Lack of integration remains one of the main problems, with multiple isolated sources of information hindering a unified view of the customer.
In Spain, only 55% of marketing professionals have full access to service data, 51% to sales data and 45% to commercial data. Additionally, 50% acknowledge that they cannot extract or consolidate data as they would like.
This fragmentation limits personalization capabilities and slows down responses to customers, something especially critical in an environment where speed has become a differentiating factor.
The situation is aggravated if we take into account that artificial intelligence requires quick access to large volumes of data to function effectively, something that many current platforms are still unable to offer.
Personalization: a promise yet to be fulfilled
Personalization remains one of the great objectives of modern marketing, but also one of the most difficult to achieve. In Spain, 74% of marketing professionals say they need to produce more personalized content than they are currently capable of generating. Although artificial intelligence can help close this gap, only 57% are using it for this purpose.
In fact, 100% of marketing professionals surveyed in Spain acknowledge encountering obstacles when personalizing their campaigns. Among the main barriers are:
- Data scattered across different channels
- Excessive volume of information to process
- Data silos between departments
Even so, the best performing professionals are already beginning to overcome these challenges. In the EMEA region, marketers using artificial intelligence show higher levels of satisfaction with access to cross-functional data and are more likely to unify their information sources.
Changes to discovery and search
Another of the big changes that the report points out has to do with the way in which consumers discover products and services. Artificial intelligence is transforming online search. Currently, about half of Google searches include AI-generated summaries that synthesize information from multiple sources, reducing direct traffic to brands’ websites.
Additionally, consumers are increasingly turning to AI-based assistants to make purchasing decisions. During the last holiday season, AI and agents generated 20% of global orders, accounting for $262 billion in sales.
This change is forcing marketing teams to adapt their digital visibility strategies. The report highlights the growth of response engine optimization (AEO), an approach that seeks to optimize content to appear in responses generated by artificial intelligence.
Consumers are increasingly turning to AI-based assistants to make purchasing decisions
In Spain, 89% of marketing professionals say that AI is transforming their SEO strategy and 91% have already started optimizing content for AI-based platforms.
An increasingly broader role for the CMO
In this context of technological transformation, the role of the marketing director is also evolving. 86% of marketers say their role has expanded significantly in recent years, incorporating new responsibilities related to data management, artificial intelligence and customer experience.
Companies are beginning to integrate AI agents into multiple areas of marketing, from content generation to automating customer interactions.
As María Ángeles Santos concludes, the challenge now is to take advantage of the potential of these technologies to close the gap between expectations and real experience: “Customers have increasingly high expectations and expect immediate responses. Artificial intelligence can help us offer the speed and personalization that the market demands.”
