Survey: Marketing Budgets Stay Strong Despite Economic Jitters.

Artificial intelligence has moved from experimentation to mainstream adoption inside marketing organizations, with nearly every major advertiser now using AI in some part of the creative process, according to new research unveiled by Stagwell CEO Mark Penn during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Presenting results from a Harris Poll survey of marketing professionals, Penn said the research shows AI has become deeply embedded in advertising operations, even as marketers remain measured about the broader economy.

"The economy is not bad, AI is on fire, AI tools are absolutely necessary, and corporations are spending big on marketing and AI," Penn said of the results.

The survey questioned employees at larger marketing organizations, ranging from C-suite executives to individual marketers, about economic conditions, consumer spending and AI adoption.

On the economy, Penn said marketers are neither overwhelmingly optimistic nor pessimistic. Nearly half (45%) expect the economy to have a positive impact on their business in the coming months, while 40% expect a negative impact, and 15% anticipate no effect.

“I think you’re not seeing here either economic euphoria or doom and gloom,” Penn said. “That seems to be about as good as we get right now.”

When asked what is limiting consumer spending, respondents pointed overwhelmingly to inflation, rising prices and economic uncertainty. “Consumers are saying is they don't like the high cost of goods after the rounds of inflation that the world went through,” Penn said during a Wall Street Journal session.

The strongest findings centered on AI. Only 5% of respondents said their organizations don’t use AI in advertising creation, while half described AI as either central to their business or used extensively.

Penn called it “the fastest adoption of technology since fire.” He suggested the numbers also reflect how quickly AI has become an executive expectation.

“It tells you that in the boardroom today, when the CEO asks you, ‘Are you using AI?’ the answer you better give is ‘Yes, we’re using it extensively,’” Penn said.

The survey also found marketers are relying on AI earlier in the creative process. Penn said the Harris survey data shows that respondents ranked “idea generation and concepting” as AI’s most common use, ahead of visual asset creation and production.

By contrast, audience targeting and personalization ranked lower among AI applications, suggesting marketers are initially deploying the technology for creative development before using it deeper in advertising workflows.

Looking ahead, Penn said respondents expect investment in AI tools and broader marketing transformation to continue increasing throughout 2026.

“If you’re selling AI tools,” Penn said, “this is a great time.”