Smells Like Strategic Spirit: How Artificial Intelligence Can Shape Modern Marketing

Artificial Intelligence is reshaping modern marketing by improving both operational efficiency and strategic decision-making. While prior research has focused on AI’s operational applications, its strategic potential remains underexplored. This study expands Huang and Rust’s (2021) AI framework by integrating a strategic marketing perspective, highlighting AI’s impact on market-based assets, competitive positioning, and decision-making. Through qualitative interviews with 40 respondents, we identify eleven AI application areas within marketing research, marketing strategy, and marketing action. Findings indicate that AI is primarily used operationally, with limited strategic adoption, despite its potential to enhance market intelligence, segmentation, and long-term value creation. This study contributes to theory by refining existing AI frameworks and linking them to strategic decision-making models, emphasizing the need for a holistic integration approach. Future research should further explore AI’s role in bridging the gap between operational and strategic functions, as well as its long-term impact on marketing effectiveness and competitive advantage.