TH SALESFORCE STATE OF MARKETING, 9 EDITION 2 Foreword We're in a new wave of the artificial intelligence revolution — catalyzed by the generative AI gold rush — and marketers are leading the charge by A note to marketers embracing rapid advancements in the technology to better connect with from Salesforce's CMO customers and prospects. But AI isn't just marketers' biggest priority. It's also their biggest challenge. A strong data foundation is critical to AI success for marketers as they work to bring together customer data for real-time activation. That’s what we found in our ninth State of Marketing report, which surveyed marketing leaders worldwide to understand the biggest trends, priorities, and challenges affecting marketers today. To help navigate a rapidly evolving landscape, the report also uncovers: • How marketing budgets address technological needs • Where marketers pull data to deepen customer understanding and power AI engines • The most common ways marketers incorporate predictive and generative AI into their work streams — and some of the biggest concerns they have about getting it right. I hope you find this report a helpful guide to navigating this new era of marketing. Ariel Kelman President & Chief Marketing Officer Salesforce