AI helps marketers save $3,520 annually per employee, study finds

In a study released on May 9, 2025, Adobe revealed that marketers utilizing AI in their workflows save an average of 114 minutes weekly on content creation, translating to annual savings of $3,520 per employee. The findings come as Adobe launches its GenStudio for Performance Marketing, a generative AI-first application designed to address the growing demand for personalized content across marketing channels.

According to the study, which surveyed more than 300 marketers, the integration of AI into marketing workflows provides substantial benefits beyond cost savings. The research found that marketers who incorporated AI into their processes over the past year were 21% more likely to gain additional production budget compared to those who hadn't adopted AI technologies.

The study also analyzed Bureau of Labor Statistics median hourly salary data for marketing specialists and managers to determine the financial impact of AI adoption. For marketing managers, the annual labor cost reduction reached approximately $7,380 per employee.

Time savings from AI integration are being redirected to more valuable activities. The majority of marketers surveyed (61%) reported using the extra time to improve the quality of their work, while 49% dedicated it to achieving better work-life balance, and 45% invested in learning new skills.

The Adobe study identifies a critical challenge facing modern marketers: the need to create enough content variations to effectively utilize advanced targeting algorithms. For example, Facebook's advertising algorithms require a minimum of 10 versions of an ad image to optimize performance for specific users.

Content production emerged as the most time-consuming stage in the content supply chain, with marketers spending over two hours (135 minutes) per project in this phase. Marketers using AI tools reclaimed nearly an hour each week, reducing production times by an average of 50 minutes.

"Many organizations are struggling to generate the rapidly increasing amount of content needed as budgets, capacity, and infrastructure remain the same," the Adobe study notes. "The sheer volume of content is outpacing teams' abilities to create and deliver."

The study revealed that 62% of marketers surveyed experienced an increase in content production volume over the past year, while 25% reported a decrease in staffing levels, creating additional pressure on content creation resources.

Adobe's GenStudio for Performance Marketing solution

Adobe's GenStudio for Performance Marketing, which became generally available on October 14, 2024, aims to address these challenges by providing marketers with tools to scale content creation while maintaining brand consistency.

The application includes several key features:

1. Generative AI content creation allowing marketers to self-serve content needs while adhering to brand guidelines
2. Content insights providing performance data to optimize campaigns
3. Brand compliance tools ensuring all content meets brand standards
4. Activation capabilities to seamlessly export content to digital campaign platforms
5. Campaign organization features to streamline content management

Adobe has expanded partnerships with major platforms including Google's Campaign Manager 360, Meta, Microsoft Advertising, Snap, and TikTok. These integrations will enable brands to activate campaigns directly across these platforms and make timely adjustments based on performance insights.

Benefits across marketing generations

The study found that marketers across all generations prioritize improving work quality with the time saved through AI integration. However, secondary priorities varied by age group. Gen Z (54%), Millennials (51%), and Baby Boomers (55%) focused on improving work-life balance, while Gen X (49%) dedicated the extra time to strategic planning.

Marketers who haven't yet adopted AI indicated they would use potential time savings to improve work quality (49%), learn new skills (43%), and engage in more strategic planning (43%).

The study also noted that 56% of surveyed marketers are receiving AI training from their employers, indicating growing organizational commitment to AI integration. However, only 40% of marketers reported knowing who oversees AI systems in their workplace, suggesting potential gaps in governance structures.

Marketing and creative collaboration

A key benefit of generative AI for marketing teams is the ability to empower marketers to create content variations while allowing creative teams to focus on strategic work rather than repetitive tasks. The study notes that nearly one in three marketers (30%) manage six or more stages in their content creation process, highlighting significant opportunities for automation.

Heather Freeland, Chief Brand Officer at Adobe, emphasized the importance of brand guidelines in this new paradigm: "By clearly codifying our brand and voice guidelines, we were able to build templates and LLMs to help marketers easily create content using Adobe GenStudio for Performance Marketing. GenStudio for Performance Marketing then helps ensure this content is on-brand and maintains consistency and brand integrity across all our channels."