Advertising and inventive professionals are underneath rising stress to display their worth to enterprise outcomes, based on Smartsheet’s 2025 Pulse of Advertising Report. The examine, launched immediately by the AI-enhanced work administration platform, surveyed greater than 1,200 advertising and marketing and inventive professionals throughout america to research how groups are navigating this problem and the function of know-how in addressing it.
The report reveals that over 80% of selling and inventive professionals really feel rising stress to show the enterprise influence of their work, with 60% noting that this stress has grown considerably over the previous 12 months. Moreover, 78% of respondents imagine they’re required to display their worth greater than friends in different departments.
“As we speak’s advertising and marketing and inventive groups usually battle to supply tangible proof of their strategic worth and enterprise influence,” stated John Newall, SVP of Advertising at Smartsheet. “The Pulse of Advertising Report underscores the significance of leveraging the best instruments and applied sciences, akin to AI and collaborative work administration platforms, to assist advertising and marketing and inventive groups keep aligned no matter undertaking complexity or workforce distribution. It additionally emphasizes how vital it’s to make use of these identical applied sciences to supply a richer, extra correct view of those groups’ affect on enterprise outcomes and profitability.”
Challenges in Demonstrating Enterprise Impression
The report highlights that just about all advertising and marketing and inventive professionals (94%) face challenges when attempting to display the enterprise influence of their work. Over half (53%) cite a scarcity of visibility into crucial data as a barrier to creating knowledgeable selections.
Excessive-quality information is vital to addressing this situation. In line with the report, a powerful correlation (57%) exists between staff who’ve constant entry to correct data and people who view advertising and marketing groups as strategic companions inside their organizations. Nonetheless, solely 51% of survey respondents imagine advertising and marketing is presently seen as a strategic companion.
Expertise and improved processes are seen as key options for overcoming these challenges. The report reveals that 87% of pros imagine higher instruments would improve their effectivity and talent to indicate enterprise influence. Nonetheless, many advertising and marketing groups nonetheless battle with inefficiencies, as 72% of respondents report switching between instruments, shedding a median of seven.3 hours per week within the course of.
AI is recognized as a vital productiveness booster. In line with Smartsheet’s analysis, advertising and marketing and inventive professionals save a median of 9 hours per week by utilizing AI, with 84% of respondents saving at the very least 5 hours weekly. Of those, 30% report saving over 10 hours per week.
The report outlines a number of methods for entrepreneurs to beat challenges in proving their worth:
- Leverage AI and undertaking administration instruments: These applied sciences streamline workflows, enhance effectivity, and supply the insights wanted to display strategic influence.
- Standardize processes and improve visibility: Improved workflows and entry to information allow higher decision-making and make it simpler to showcase contributions to enterprise outcomes.