New Research Finds AI Is Now Foundational to Modern Marketing

Key Terms

generative ai technical

Generative AI is a type of computer technology that can create new content, like text, images, or music, on its own. It’s important because it can produce realistic and useful material quickly, which could change how we create art, write stories, or even develop new products. Think of it as a smart robot that can invent and produce things almost like a human.

answer engine optimization technical

Answer engine optimization is the practice of writing and structuring content so search engines and voice assistants can pull a short, direct answer and show it at the top of results. For investors, it matters because press releases or filings that are surfaced as instant answers reach more readers quickly, shape the first impression of news, and can influence market attention and trading activity much like a prominent headline on a news ticker.

aeo technical

An AEO (Authorized Economic Operator) is a government-recognized status given to companies that meet security and customs standards for handling cross-border goods; think of it as a trusted partner badge that speeds up inspections and paperwork at borders. For investors, AEO status can lower shipping delays, reduce compliance costs, and improve reliability in a company’s supply chain—factors that can boost margins and reduce business interruption risk.

agentic ai technical

Agentic AI refers to computer systems that can make their own decisions and take actions without needing someone to tell them what to do each time. It's like giving a robot a degree of independence to solve problems or achieve goals on its own, which matters because it could change how we work and interact with technology in everyday life.

seo technical

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the set of practices used to make online content show up higher in search results, like tuning a store’s sign and product displays so more people find it when they walk by. For investors, SEO matters because better visibility typically drives more traffic, customers and sales while reducing the cost of paid marketing, which can affect revenue growth, profitability and perceived market reach.

AI’s Impact on Marketing Doubles as Teams Move from Experimentation to Embedded Use

SAN JOSE, Calif. & SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- NetApp® (NASDAQ: NTAP), the Intelligent Data Infrastructure company, today announced its participation in a new marketing research study conducted by Callan Consulting, a Silicon Valley executive marketing consulting firm, joining 18 B2B and B2C technology companies to examine how AI is reshaping modern marketing organizations, marking a clear shift from early experimentation to embedded, enterprise‑wide adoption.

According to the State of AI in Technology Marketing 2026 report, based on in‑depth interviews with CMOs and senior marketing leaders at the participating companies, the study finds that AI is becoming rapidly integrated across core marketing teams and workflows—from content development and research to campaign optimization and analytics. As adoption deepens, data quality, accessibility, and governance are emerging as critical priorities.

"AI doesn't change what great marketing is supposed to do. It just removes the excuses for not doing it," said Gabie Boko, Chief Marketing Officer at NetApp. "When your data is clean, accessible, and trusted, your team stops managing chaos and starts making decisions. That's when you get to the work that actually moves the business."

The report highlights several notable changes since Callan Consulting’s prior study dated November 2024, including the emergence of “Born in AI” companies that built marketing organizations around generative AI from day one, the rapid expansion of AI use cases across the marketing lifecycle, and the growing importance of new disciplines such as Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) as customers’ buying patterns shift toward AI‑driven interfaces.

While enthusiasm for AI adoption is high, marketing leaders also point to ongoing challenges. Many respondents cite difficulty measuring AI’s direct return on investment, with benefits more often seen anecdotally in speed, output, and cost avoidance rather than traditional performance metrics. The findings also reinforce the danger of overreliance on AI and the importance of maintaining human oversight, governance, and input as AI‑generated content becomes more prevalent.

“What’s changed most dramatically since our last study is that AI is no longer treated as a bolt‑on or side project,” said Ed Callan, Chief Executive Officer at Callan Consulting. “Marketing leaders now view AI as a baseline expectation, similar to analytics or marketing automation. At the same time, we’re starting to see signs of overreliance on the tools, with leaders recognizing that human judgment, creativity, and discipline are more important than ever.”

Looking ahead, marketing leaders expect deeper AI integration over the next 12 months, including increased use of agentic AI, consolidation of marketing technology stacks, and continued evolution in how brands engage both human buyers and AI‑driven decision systems.

“In an era of AI-driven content, marketers struggle to drive visibility and differentiation. Now with answer engines fast becoming the new way of search, it’s an opportunity to put content back in the strategic seat—intelligent content that is structured, accurate, trustworthy, and accessible to everyone,” said Jen Jones, CMO of Siteimprove and one of the contributors to the report. “Marketers will still need to be successful in traditional SEO, and AEO is the expanded discipline that moves beyond rankings and into answer engines.”

The 2026 State of AI in Technology Marketing report is available now from Callan Consulting, at www.callanconsulting.com/state-of-ai-report and accompanying infographic at www.callanconsulting.com/state-of-ai-infographic.

About Callan Consulting

Callan Consulting has been helping leading technology companies bring products to market since 2000. The firm brings decades of marketing experience and has completed thousands of strategic marketing engagements for clients ranging from established global brands including Docusign, SAP, IDC, Google, and Amazon to Born in AI startups. Callan offers a broad range of product marketing services, including research, strategy, content, and sales enablement.

Callan’s research services span both qualitative and quantitative methodologies and are used by clients to support thought leadership, inform product roadmaps, understand customer journeys and buyer behaviors, and develop personas and ideal customer profiles. With Callan Consulting’s AI Enablement Service, the firm works with its clients to ensure they are making the best use of AI in their marketing organizations. AI Enablement service offerings include quick-start assessment and plans; AI tool market scan and selection; pilot implementation and support; skills training; and change management centered around adoption, measurement, and optimization.

Learn more at www.callanconsulting.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

About NetApp

For more than three decades, NetApp has helped the world’s leading organizations navigate change – from the rise of enterprise storage to the intelligent era defined by data and AI. Today, NetApp is the Intelligent Data Infrastructure company, helping customers turn data into a catalyst for innovation, resilience, and growth.

At the heart of that infrastructure is the NetApp data platform – the unified, enterprise-grade, intelligent foundation that connects, protects, and activates data across every cloud, workload, and environment. Built on the proven power of NetApp ONTAP, our leading data management software and OS, and enhanced by automation through the AI Data Engine and AFX, it delivers observability, resilience, and intelligence at scale.

Disaggregated by design, the NetApp data platform separates storage, services, and control so enterprises can modernize faster, scale efficiently, and innovate without lock-in. As the only enterprise storage platform natively embedded in the world’s largest clouds, it gives organizations the freedom to run any workload anywhere with consistent performance, governance, and protection.

With NetApp, data is always ready – ready to defend against threats, ready to power AI, and ready to drive the next breakthrough. That’s why the world’s most forward-thinking enterprises trust NetApp to turn intelligence into advantage.

Learn more at www.netapp.com or follow us on X, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

NETAPP, the NETAPP logo, and the marks listed at www.netapp.com/TM are trademarks of NetApp, Inc. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260408093294/en/

Media Contact:
Kenya Hayes
NetApp
kenya.hayes@netapp.com

Investor Contact:
Kris Newton
NetApp
kris.newton@netapp.com

Source: NetApp