ACAM launches global AI in marketing benchmark in US

The Australian Centre for AI in Marketing has launched the Global Centre for AI in Marketing, with its first international benchmark to begin in the United States.

The launch expands ACAM's work measuring how marketing organisations use artificial intelligence and how prepared they are to apply it across teams, governance and investment decisions.

The US benchmark will be conducted with The CMO Syndicate, a consultancy founded by Chief Marketing Officers. The group will lead participation in the American market and join the project's advisory structure.

GCAM is designed to collect research and benchmarking data on AI maturity in marketing across countries and sectors. Its initial aim is to create a baseline for comparisons between Australia, the United States and future markets.

Louise Cummins, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ACAM and GCAM, said the move reflects a gap between spending on AI and the organisational changes needed to deliver results.

"CMOs don't need more AI tools, they need credible intelligence that shows where their organisation stands, how it compares and what will make the greatest commercial difference next," said Louise Cummins, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ACAM and GCAM.

She said the platform would use benchmark data to guide investment and internal decision-making.

GCAM will turn benchmark insight into action. It gives marketing leaders the evidence needed to focus investment, strengthen executive and board conversations, build team capability and create a structured pathway from isolated pilots to responsible, measurable transformation." Cummins said.

Benchmark model

The assessment framework was developed specifically for marketing teams rather than broader corporate AI adoption. ACAM said the model examines seven areas: Leadership and Culture; Skills and Capability; Governance, Risk and Brand; Data and Technology Readiness; Use Cases and ROI; Team Design and Workflow; and Roadmap, Planning and Investment.

Results are mapped across six maturity levels to show where an organisation sits against peers and where it may need to direct resources.

The work builds on ACAM's Australian benchmark research, conducted with Kantar as research partner and supported by IBM Australia. That study found 83 per cent of organisations were still in the early to mid stages of AI maturity, while none reached the top two levels in the framework.

Those findings pointed to a divide between experimentation with AI tools and the broader leadership, governance and workflow changes needed to apply them at scale.

US expansion

The US benchmark will gather responses from Chief Marketing Officers and senior marketing executives across industries. It will create the first overseas data set for the global model and help shape comparisons between markets over time.

Ani Matson, Founding Partner at The CMO Syndicate, said the pace of AI development had outstripped many organisations' readiness to manage it.

"AI is advancing faster than most organisations can build the leadership, capabilities and governance needed to use it well. That makes it increasingly difficult for CMOs to know whether they are truly progressing or simply experimenting.

"The Global AI in Marketing Benchmark provides a credible way to understand where an organisation stands, where the gaps are and what to prioritise next. As GCAM's founding US market partner, The CMO Syndicate brings the perspective of experienced CMOs who understand the realities of leading marketing transformation. Our role is to help ensure the benchmark reflects the US market and, ultimately, produces insights that CMOs can use to make better business decisions," said Ani Matson, Founding Partner at The CMO Syndicate.

The CMO Syndicate will also contribute representatives to the GCAM Advisory Group. ACAM will continue to run the underlying research programme and retain ownership of the benchmark methodology and diagnostic tools.

Wider market

The launch comes as companies across sectors increase spending on generative AI and automation in customer-facing functions, while many still struggle to measure returns or define governance standards. Marketing departments have been among the earliest adopters, particularly in content production, audience targeting and workflow automation.

GCAM's approach differs from studies focused mainly on adoption levels, spending patterns or executive sentiment. Instead, it aims to measure whether organisations have the leadership structures, data readiness, governance controls and team design needed to use AI consistently and assess outcomes.

As more markets join, the platform is expected to build a comparative data set showing how AI maturity in marketing differs by geography and sector. For ACAM, the US partnership is the first step in turning an Australian research model into an international benchmark.

The Australian benchmark found that 83 per cent of organisations remained in the early to mid stages of maturity, and none reached the two highest levels.