VPs and the AI Adoption Curve: A Leadership Gap Emerge

A surprising trend is emerging in the world of AI adoption: While mid-level professionals are enthusiastically embracing AI tools, adoption rates among Vice Presidents (VPs) are lagging. This "sandwich effect" is creating a leadership gap that could slow down overall AI integration within organizations.

The Leadership Gap: Understanding the VP Hesitation

While there's increasing awareness of AI's potential among senior marketers, many are still hesitant to fully integrate it. A recent survey by Plus Company showed that while 57% of mid-level professionals find AI "very helpful," this enthusiasm dips to 49% among VPs. The same study also showed 89% of marketers recognize AI's value, but excitement seems to dwindle the higher up the corporate ladder you go.

This discrepancy is creating a competitive gap, with early adopters reaping the benefits of real-time feedback and creative optimization. This gap is further emphasized by data suggesting that VPs experience lower productivity gains from AI compared to their junior and mid-level colleagues, suggesting a disconnect between the C-suite's vision for AI and its practical implementation by management. While CEOs and boards advocate for AI adoption, VPs often hesitate to fully embrace it.

So, What is Holding VPs Back?

The lack of enthusiasm at the executive level might be tied to concerns about cost. VPs are more likely to see high costs as a barrier, with 45% flagging it as a challenge to implementing AI for tasks like target market identification, validation, and engagement, compared to only 25% of mid-level marketers. The proliferation of new technology, the costly AI-feature upgrades on core workspace platforms and the difficulty rolling out mass access to all employees, continue to pose very tangible challenges for leaders to manage.

In addition to cost, there are three factors impacting VP bias for action:

• Risk Aversion: VPs, responsible for larger teams and budgets, may be more risk-averse than their mid-level counterparts. They need to see proven, scalable solutions before committing to widespread AI integration.
• Lack of Systems-Level Solutions: Point solutions favored by mid-level employees may not be suitable for enterprise-wide adoption. VPs require integrated, system-level AI solutions that can be seamlessly implemented across the organization.
• The Need for a Business Case: VPs need to see a clear business case for AI adoption. Demonstrating how AI can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and drive revenue is crucial for securing buy-in. With brands across categories beginning to report 10-20% productivity gains through AI utilization across multiple workflow categories, we’re bound to see more business cases emerge.

Bridging the Gap

There are strong emotions surrounding the rapid emergence of AI and its impact on marketing. Excitement, curiosity, anxiety, anticipation and loss of control rank high, but fear seems to be the dominant emotion.

This fear intensifies exponentially when organizations embark on a systemic change journey rather than opting for a point solution. While a point solution addresses specific aspects of a job or organization, a systemic change challenges the very fabric of how individuals operate within an organization. It is within this paradigm that the fear factor looms large.

But it’s also where factors of leadership come into play. Leaders need to be bought in and brought along, and that buy-in doesn’t start and end with the CMO. AI efforts require a CEO champion, an understanding from the CFO on how to fund marketing innovation as well as input from legal and regulatory teams to help minimize risk but to also forecast challenges, especially with a new, unstable technology.

To bridge the gap and accelerate AI adoption, an organization’s leadership team must address these challenges:

• Provide Access to Enterprise-Level AI Solutions: Investing in robust AI platforms and tools that can be scaled across the organization is essential.
• Actively uplevel with simplified training and support: VPs need adequate training and support to understand how to effectively leverage AI within their teams and workflows. Many are not early adopters and may not spend much time testing platforms. It’s critical that organizations find ways to get VPs on board, comfortable and even proactively utilizing AI solutions if we’re ever to stabilize real adoption and productivity gains. Some of the solutions might lie in reverse mentoring; combining junior-level early adopters with senior-level executives who need more awareness and guidance on the everyday uses of AI in the organization. People at all levels need hands-on experience to appreciate the potential. Consider prioritizing time and making workshops where people can cut their teeth on one or two AI applications with a specific business problem in their domain.
• Develop a Clear Business Case: Demonstrating the ROI of AI through pilot projects and case studies can help convince VPs of the technology's value. Pilot projects should include experiments that measure what AI can do across the organization, and also what it should not be used for. For example, more organizations and departments are setting specific AI goals like 100% employee access to commercially licensed AI platforms, 10-15% productivity gains in 2025, clear business goals for maturing AI-enabled agents and solutions. This explicit direction for VPs can help drive the mandate further, faster.

The Future of AI Adoption

The "sandwich effect" in AI adoption highlights a critical leadership gap. As AI continues to mature, and as economic pressures force organizations to do more with less, it is likely that VP adoption rates will increase. However, proactive steps to address the current leadership gap like providing VPs with the tools, training, and evidence they need to confidently lead their organizations into the AI-powered future, are crucial for ensuring that organizations can fully harness the potential of AI.

Written By:
Michael Cohen, Global Chief Data & Analytics Officer, Plus Company
Crystalyn Stuart-Loayza, Chief Digital Officer, Citizen Relations / Mekanism, Plus Company agencies