AI Adoption in Advertising: Key Insights from The Myers Report and How the Industry Stacks Up

1. AI Tools Understanding: “I feel that I have sufficient understanding of generative AI tools to use them for researching and writing reports that I’m responsible for preparing and presenting.”
2. AI Tools Usage: “I feel that my company is investing to increase my knowledge or ability to use generative AI tools for my professional use.”

The results reveal that only 11% of respondents strongly agreed they have a sufficient understanding of AI tools, while 31% somewhat agreed, indicating room for growth in AI literacy. When it comes to company investment in AI tools, 18% strongly agreed their company is actively investing in their AI education, with 34% somewhat agreeing.

The findings show that professionals with fewer years of experience are generally more comfortable using AI tools, while larger companies are leading in investment to increase AI knowledge across their workforce. However, a notable gap remains among professionals with over 15 years of experience, where understanding and confidence in AI tools decline despite company investments.

The findings from The Myers Report on AI adoption in the advertising industry, showing that 42% of professionals feel confident in their understanding of AI tools (11% strongly agree, 31% somewhat agree), and 52% acknowledge that their companies are investing in AI education (18% strongly agree, 34% somewhat agree), can be compared to data from other industries that have also embraced AI at different rates.

For instance, a 2023 McKinsey survey found that 65% of organizations across various sectors are regularly using AI in at least one business function. This is higher than what is observed in advertising, suggesting that industries such as technology, finance, and retail are ahead in AI adoption. Companies in these industries are not just adopting AI but also embedding AI capabilities deeply into their operations, with AI high performers -- those achieving significant revenue growth from AI -- spending more than 20% of their digital budgets on AI technologies​ (McKinsey & Company),

The IBM Global AI Adoption Index corroborates these findings, revealing that sectors like retail (73%) and finance (54%) have higher AI adoption rates than advertising. In these industries, AI is being applied for more advanced uses, such as optimizing product development cycles and improving supply chain management ​(MediaRoom). Meanwhile, the advertising industry is still in an early phase of adoption, focusing more on gaining a foundational understanding and investing in AI skills.

While advertising is making strides in AI adoption, particularly in larger companies, other industries like retail, technology, and finance are further ahead in integrating AI into multiple business functions and deriving significant value from it. To keep pace, advertising companies should continue to increase their investments in AI education and explore more advanced AI applications that go beyond operational efficiency to creating new revenue streams. This ongoing benchmark study will help track the industry’s progress and provide valuable insights for future decision-making.

Key Points and Highlights:

1. AI Tools Understanding:
   • Tenure in Industry: Less tenured professionals (2 years or less) show a higher level of agreement with understanding AI tools, with 16% strongly agreeing and 36% somewhat agreeing. This understanding declines significantly with tenure -- only 8% of those with 15+ years strongly agree.
   • Company Size: Professionals working at larger companies (20K+ employees) feel more confident in their understanding of AI tools (14% strongly agree), while smaller companies (1-99 employees) lag slightly behind (9% strongly agree).
2. AI Tools Usage/Investment at Work:
   • Tenure in Industry: Employees with 15+ years in the industry are more likely to report that their companies are investing in AI tool education, with 38% somewhat agreeing. This indicates that senior professionals might benefit from company initiatives even though their understanding of AI is lower compared to newer employees.
   • Company Size: Investment is notably higher in larger organizations. For example, companies with 20K+ employees see a strong focus on AI education, with 25% strongly agreeing their company is investing, while mid-sized companies (5,000–20K employees) also show significant commitment (39% somewhat agree).

Conclusions and Recommendations:

This survey serves as a vital benchmark, showing that the level of AI understanding is directly influenced by an individual’s tenure and the size of the company they work for. Professionals with less tenure tend to be more adaptable to AI tools, but larger companies have more resources to invest in upskilling all levels of employees. Companies of all sizes should take note of this dynamic and continue to invest in AI education, especially for senior employees who may not feel as comfortable with these tools.

This benchmark study provides crucial insights into how generative AI is shaping the future of media planning and buying and will serve as an ongoing reference as companies navigate this increasingly AI-driven landscape. The Myers Report underscores the need for organizations to focus on upskilling their workforce to remain competitive and fully leverage the power of AI in the years ahead.

The data also signals the need for continuous tracking to observe how trends evolve, especially as the media industry increasingly integrates AI into planning and buying processes.

1. Encourage AI Skill Development: Companies should prioritize developing generative AI skills across all tenure levels, but particularly target professionals with more than 8 years in the industry, where understanding is weakest.
2. Targeted Investment in AI Education: Larger companies should continue their investment in generative AI education. However, smaller, and mid-sized companies, particularly those with fewer than 5,000 employees, need to increase their focus on AI tool investment, especially for senior professionals.
3. Ongoing Benchmarking: This is a baseline survey, and further studies should regularly assess changes in understanding and usage of AI tools. Tracking year-over-year improvements will help identify gaps and successes, allowing companies to adjust their learning and development strategies accordingly.
4. Positioning AI as a Core Competency: As generative AI becomes more critical to media planning and buying, companies should integrate AI as a core competency within their workforce, providing continuous training to ensure staff at all levels are proficient with these tools.

These insights and recommendations align with The Myers Report’s conviction that AI will significantly shape future decisions in media planning and buying. Companies need to take proactive steps to build a workforce that is AI-literate, ensuring they remain competitive in an increasingly data-driven industry.