While 96% of chief marketing officers express enthusiasm for artificial intelligence, fewer than one-third of marketing organizations are actually rewiring their teams and workflows to drive growth. According to a joint study by Google and McKinsey, this operational chasm persists because marketing organizations are struggling to adapt.
Closing the Gap: Lessons from Global CMOs
Bridging the divide between AI ambition and execution requires a shift from viewing technology as a siloed tool to treating it as a catalyst for organizational design. During a series of sessions at the Google Beach in Cannes, marketing leaders from L’Oréal, Zillow, and Back Market outlined how they are moving beyond simple AI experimentation to achieve measurable growth.
Pro Tip: Don’t wait for your IT department to build the perfect tool. As L’Oréal’s Asmita Dubey notes, using no-code AI solutions allows marketers to test technical hypotheses and validate concepts before requesting formal resource allocation from technology teams.
L’Oréal: Upskilling as the Foundation of AI Scale
For L’Oréal, scaling AI meant deconstructing the marketing function into specific, teachable skills rather than just deploying software. The company launched an internal initiative to train over 70,000 employees on its proprietary AI platform. According to Asmita Dubey, chief digital and marketing officer at L’Oréal, the goal of the generative AI beauty content platform, CreAItech, is to democratize the ability to create brand-safe images and videos.
Dubey emphasizes that deep familiarity with AI is non-negotiable for leadership. She argues that marketers must “get their hands dirty” with the tools to effectively manage agency partners. By moving away from one-off training sessions toward a culture of continuous upskilling and reskilling, L’Oréal ensures its workforce remains capable of evolving alongside the technology.
Zillow: Flattening Workflows and Redefining Roles
Zillow significantly reduced its campaign development timeline—from a three-month process to just 30 days—by restructuring how its teams operate. Ravi Kandikonda, CMO at Zillow, explains that the company moved away from linear, multi-month agency handoffs by integrating legal partners into the process early. This collaborative approach allows for faster approvals and more agile creative execution.
The transformation also involved changing the scope of individual roles. Product marketing managers at Zillow are no longer strictly brief-writers; they are now tasked with articulating channel strategies and overseeing end-to-end execution. This shift provides these managers with a deeper understanding of the audience, which Kandikonda identifies as part of how roles have changed and processes have been flattened.
Did you know? Zillow uses AI tools to dynamically update rental property assets, such as swapping snowy landscapes for springtime flowers, which helps keep creative content relevant without requiring new photography shoots.
Leadership by Participation
The most effective AI integration starts with leaders who use the tools themselves. Joy Howard, CMO at Back Market, notes that modern marketing requires unprecedented adaptability. She utilizes AI to perform rapid data analysis, allowing her to generate presentation-ready insights for the CFO in under 30 minutes.
Similarly, Zillow’s Kandikonda uses AI to summarize documents, which frees up his time to engage personally with his team. By automating the synthesis of information, he can provide specific, helpful feedback to his staff, demonstrating that AI can be used to foster a more human-centered management style.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is there a gap between AI enthusiasm and implementation?
According to Google and McKinsey, the gap exists because while 96% of CMOs are excited about AI, fewer than one-third of marketing organizations are actually rewiring their teams and workflows to drive growth.
How can CMOs start implementing AI effectively?
CMOs should focus on upskilling their teams, flattening traditional, slow-moving approval processes, and participating in the use of AI tools themselves to build internal trust and technical literacy.
Does AI replace the need for agency partners?
No. As L’Oréal’s Asmita Dubey suggests, AI actually makes the relationship with agencies more critical. By learning to use these tools themselves, marketers are better equipped to communicate their specific creative vision to external partners.
How is your team adapting its internal workflows to keep pace with AI? Share your experiences in the comments below or subscribe to our newsletter for more insights on marketing operations.
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