Forrester: Nine In 10 US Marketing Agencies Use AI To Cut Costs At The Expense Of Creativity
New research calls on agencies and CMOs to shift their focus from AI-driven cost savings to preserving creativity and differentiation in the AI era
According to Forrester’s (Nasdaq: FORR) The State Of AI Inside US Marketing Agencies, 2026, a new report released today in partnership with 4As, AI is now pervasive across US marketing agencies: Nine in 10 agencies use generative AI, and half use agentic AI for marketing execution. Yet rapid adoption, combined with an industrywide focus on productivity and cost efficiency, is undermining marketing effectiveness, creativity, and long-term brand growth.
The report further states that enhancing the productivity and impact of staff remains the primary objective for agencies to use genAI (81%) and AI agents (63%). For the second consecutive year, the most cited use cases of AI in marketing include building creative content, crafting media and SEO strategy, and improving internal productivity. While CMOs and marketing teams can benefit from productivity boosts and cost efficiency in the short term, the emphasis on efficiency stifles creativity and growth in the long term.
