82% of Marketers Failing at AI (Here's Why)

Why AI adoption fails + Guidde creates video docs 11× faster + 7 new tools inside

Author

Aleric Heck
November 19, 2025

In partnership with

I've been digging into some fascinating developments this week, and honestly, I'm blown away by what's happening in our industry right now. The shift toward AI-to-AI marketing is no longer theoretical – it's here, and it's changing everything. From marketers waking up to discover their profession has an expiration date in exactly nine years, to the mind-blowing reality that 42% of consumers now trust AI-generated summaries without even visiting websites, the landscape is transforming faster than ever.

What's particularly exciting today is how AI is moving from being just a helpful assistant to becoming the actual infrastructure of marketing itself. We're seeing this play out in real-time with brands adopting "agentic AI" – systems that can independently execute entire campaigns without constant human oversight. But here's what caught my attention: while everyone's rushing to implement AI, 82% of marketing teams are actually failing at adoption. And it's not because of the technology...

📍 Quick Preview:

  • OpenAI's leaked financials reveal unsustainable AI costs threatening the industry

  • 42% of consumers now trust AI summaries over visiting actual websites

  • Google launches Pomelli: AI marketing for small businesses in minutes

  • Why 82% of marketers are failing at AI (hint: it's not the tech)

📈 Today's Top AI Marketing Story

The AI Cost Crisis: OpenAI's Leaked Documents Reveal Industry's Biggest Challenge

This is huge, folks. Leaked financial documents obtained by tech blogger Ed Zitron show that Microsoft received $865.8 million in revenue share payments from OpenAI in the first three quarters of 2025, up from $493.8 million for all of 2024.

But here's the kicker – and why this matters for every marketer using AI tools: OpenAI spent roughly $3.8 billion on inference costs in 2024, which nearly doubled to $8.65 billion in the first nine months of 2025. That's the cost just to run their trained models!

What does this mean for us? The economics of AI are becoming increasingly unsustainable. While OpenAI's CEO projects $100 billion in revenue by 2027, the cost structure suggests we might see significant price increases for AI tools across the board. This could fundamentally change how we budget for and implement AI in our marketing strategies.

Quick Action Tip: Start documenting your ROI from AI tools now. As prices inevitably rise, you'll need solid data to justify continued investment or negotiate better rates.

🚀 AI Marketing Quick Hits

Consumer Trust Shifts to AI-First Discovery

New Optimizely research from November 18, 2025, reveals 42% of consumers trust AI-generated summaries without visiting websites. This "click-less" discovery model is redefining how we measure success. Why This Matters: Website traffic is no longer your primary KPI. Focus on optimizing content for AI indexing instead. Action Item: Implement structured data markup on all key pages by month's end.

Marketing's Generational Divide Widens

Younger shoppers (ages 18-44) are 3-4× more likely to use AI daily for product research compared to those over 55, with 52% of all consumers frequently using AI platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity for shopping decisions. Why This Matters: Your audience is aging out of traditional search faster than you think. Action Item: Audit your content strategy for AI platform optimization, not just SEO.

The Great AI Implementation Failure

Despite the hype, only 25% of marketers globally are in production with any AI use cases. The culprit? 38% lack proper training, 38% don't understand how AI works, and 35% don't understand their partners' AI solutions. Why This Matters: Your competitors are likely struggling too – early success could mean market dominance. Action Item: Schedule AI literacy training for your entire team this quarter.

Google's Small Business AI Revolution

Google Labs and DeepMind launched Pomelli on November 17, 2025 – an AI marketing tool that analyzes your website to create a complete "Business DNA" profile and generates tailored social media campaigns in minutes. Why This Matters: Enterprise-level AI marketing is now accessible to any business with a website. Action Item: Beta test Pomelli if you're in the US, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand.

Guidde: Create Video Documentation 11× Faster with AI

I've been blown away by Guidde's ability to transform how we create marketing tutorials and product demos. This AI-powered platform captures your workflow with a single click and automatically generates professional video guides complete with step-by-step descriptions and AI voiceovers.

What You Can Do With It:

  • Record any process with the Magic Capture browser extension – just hit record and go

  • Auto-generate step-by-step descriptions powered by GPT-4 for crystal-clear instructions

  • Choose from 200+ AI voices in 100+ languages for instant narration

  • Blur sensitive information with one click or use "magic redaction" for automatic privacy protection

  • Brand your videos with custom logos, colors, and fonts for consistent marketing materials

What makes Guidde particularly valuable for marketers is its speed. You can create polished product tutorials, customer onboarding guides, or training materials in minutes instead of hours. The AI automatically writes descriptions for each step, eliminating the dreaded blank page syndrome.

Official Website: guidde.com Pricing: Free plan (up to 25 videos), Pro at $16/month, Business at $35/month (annual pricing)

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🛠️ More AI Tools Worth Exploring

1. Mixus - AI Agents That Work for You

Build AI agents in seconds just by typing what you need in plain English. No coding required – Mixus creates agents that integrate with Gmail, Salesforce, Jira and more

  • Key Feature: Natural language agent creation

  • Notable Capability: Human-in-the-loop oversight

  • Use Case: Automate marketing workflows instantly

  • Pricing: Free trial, Premium from $20/month

2. Plugin.st - AI-Powered WordPress Marketing

Transform your WordPress site with AI marketing automation, from content creation to SEO optimization and customer engagement

  • Key Feature: All-in-one marketing plugin suite

  • Notable Capability: AI content generation within WordPress

  • Use Case: Streamline content marketing workflows

  • Pricing: Free plan available, Pro from $49/month

3. Vexa - Real-Time AI Meeting Assistant

Never miss important marketing insights from meetings. Vexa captures every detail with AI-powered transcription and task management

  • Key Feature: Real-time meeting intelligence

  • Notable Capability: Multi-language support (30+ languages)

  • Use Case: Capture campaign feedback and action items

  • Pricing: Free plan, Pro at $20/month

4. LiteAPI - Discounted AI Model Access

Access OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google AI models at up to 50% discount through aggregated pricing

  • Key Feature: Unified API for major AI providers

  • Notable Capability: Automatic fallover for reliability

  • Use Case: Power AI marketing tools cost-effectively

  • Pricing: Pay-as-you-go with variable discounts

5. Summate - AI Newsletter Summarizer

Transform overwhelming newsletter subscriptions into one weekly digest. Perfect for staying on top of marketing trends

  • Key Feature: Advanced content summarization

  • Notable Capability: Multi-platform integration (YouTube, RSS, Substack)

  • Use Case: Efficiently track industry news and competitors

  • Pricing: Free plan, Pro at $7.99/month

6. Quizgecko - AI Quiz & Assessment Creator

Generate engaging quizzes and assessments from any content instantly. Perfect for lead generation and audience engagement

  • Key Feature: AI-powered quiz generation from text/URLs

  • Notable Capability: Multiple question formats and languages

  • Use Case: Create interactive content for marketing campaigns

  • Pricing: Free plan, Premium from $16/month

7. Rocket - AI App Builder for Marketers

Build marketing tools and landing pages with AI in minutes. Just describe what you want and Rocket creates it

  • Key Feature: Natural language to functional apps

  • Notable Capability: One-shot app generation

  • Use Case: Rapid prototyping of marketing tools

  • Pricing: Free trial, plans from $25/month

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💡 Pro Tip of the Day

Master the Art of "Positionless Marketing"

Here's something that's been on my mind after analyzing why so many teams fail with AI. The traditional marketing department structure – with its silos and handoffs – is killing AI adoption. Success requires moving from traditional "assembly line" marketing models to "Positionless Marketing"—where individual marketers can access data, generate brand-safe creative, and launch campaigns with built-in optimization without departmental handoffs.

How to Implement This:

  1. Break Down Tool Access Barriers

    • Give every team member access to AI tools, not just specialists

    • Create shared prompts and templates for consistency

    • Document successful AI workflows for team-wide use

  2. Establish "AI Office Hours"

    • Weekly sessions where team members share AI discoveries

    • Live troubleshooting of AI implementation challenges

    • Cross-functional collaboration on AI projects

  3. Create Micro-Campaigns for Testing

    • Let individual team members launch small test campaigns

    • Use AI to analyze results in real-time

    • Scale winning approaches across the organization

Success Metric: Track time from idea to launch. Aim to reduce by 70% within 90 days.

⚡ KeywordSearch.com Feature Spotlight

From AI Insights to Instant Implementation

You know what drives me crazy? Reading about all these amazing AI capabilities but then spending hours manually implementing them. That's exactly why I'm excited about how KeywordSearch.com bridges this gap.

While everyone's talking about AI-generated content and predictive analytics, the real bottleneck is audience targeting. Think about it – you can create the perfect ad in minutes with AI, but if it doesn't reach the right people, what's the point?

Here's where it gets interesting: KeywordSearch's AI Audience Builder doesn't just suggest audiences – it creates them instantly and syncs directly to your Google and YouTube Ads with literally one click. No CSV exports, no manual list building, no complex audience logic. Just intelligent targeting based on actual data.

I've been particularly impressed with how it handles YouTube advertising. The platform analyzes what your competitors' audiences are actually watching and builds targeting lists based on real viewing behavior. It's like having a mind reader for your ideal customers.

Pro tip: Use the 5-day unlimited free trial to build audiences for your next three campaigns. You'll save at least 10 hours of research time, guaranteed.

🎯 KEY TAKEAWAY

  • AI adoption isn't a technology problem – it's an organizational one

  • Your customers are already using AI to make purchase decisions

  • Start small, measure everything, and scale what works

Ready to transform these insights into real results? The future of marketing isn't just AI-powered – it's happening right now. And with tools like KeywordSearch.com, you can start implementing advanced AI targeting in literally minutes, not months.

Until tomorrow,

Aleric & Greg
KeywordSearch.com 

P.S. Curious how AI can supercharge your ad targeting? Take KeywordSearch for a test drive with our unlimited 5-day free trial and see for yourself.

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