Profound and Listen Labs have released new research highlighting how chief marketing officers (CMOs) are integrating large language models (LLMs) into everyday marketing operations. Based on interviews with 100 CMOs across industries including technology, financial services, healthcare, and professional services, the report indicates that AI has evolved from an experimental technology into an operational necessity for modern marketing organizations.
The findings reveal growing adoption of specialized AI tools, structured AI workflows, and new approaches to customer acquisition as marketing leaders adapt to an AI-driven business landscape.
According to the study, AI usage among marketing leaders has reached a level where it is embedded in daily business processes rather than isolated experimentation.
Key findings include:
The research suggests that AI adoption is no longer limited to early adopters, but has become a standard component of modern marketing operations.
Rather than relying on a single AI platform, many marketing leaders are adopting multiple LLMs based on specific business requirements.
The study found that:
This multi-platform approach reflects a growing trend toward specialized AI ecosystems that align individual tools with specific marketing functions.
The report also identifies significant changes in customer research behavior as AI-powered search becomes more prominent.
While 49% of CMOs say peer recommendations remain the primary method for discovering vendors, 22% now begin vendor research using large language models, compared with 16% who start with traditional search engines.
These findings suggest that marketing organizations are placing greater emphasis on optimizing brand visibility within AI-generated responses in addition to conventional search engine optimization.
Marketing teams are increasingly moving beyond individual prompt-based interactions toward integrated AI systems.
According to the report:
The findings indicate that AI is influencing not only marketing execution but also workforce planning and organizational design.
"CMOs were testing prompts a year ago," said Alfred Wahlforss, CEO of Listen Labs. "Now they're building whole systems, optimizing LLM visibility and hiring for AI fluency. This is the new standard."
"The study shows that marketing leaders aren't treating AI as a single category anymore," said James Cadwallader, Co-founder and CEO of Profound. "Different models are earning different roles inside the organization, and that specialization is starting to influence how teams create content, evaluate vendors, and make purchasing decisions."
As AI continues to reshape marketing strategy and customer engagement, the research suggests organizations are increasingly adopting specialized AI platforms, structured workflows, and AI-focused talent strategies to remain competitive. The report highlights a broader shift toward operationalizing AI as a core capability across the marketing function.
Profound is the marketing platform for the era of AI. Thousands of teams use Profound’s Agents to understand, control, and scale how they appear across AI Search. Trusted by Figma, Walmart, Ramp, MongoDB, Chime, and U.S. Bank, Profound arms visionary marketers with the tools to win the zero-click internet.
Learn more at www.tryprofound.com.
Listen Labs is the end-to-end voice-of-customer platform for marketing leaders. Marketing teams use Listen to truly know their customers and confidently make their biggest decisions: new messaging, marketing channels, and brand campaigns. Trusted by companies from the Fortune 50 to startups, including Anthropic, Microsoft, Cognition, Perplexity, and Sweetgreen, Listen helps leading teams maximize their ROI and stand out in the market.
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