The 2026 Chicago AI Marketing Report
Understanding how Chicago marketing organizations are adopting artificial intelligence, through the city's first annual AI marketing benchmark study.
Presented by Dance · Approximately 12 minutes to complete · Confidential and anonymized
Our target sample for the 500-response benchmark. Figures update as responses are validated.
AI is reshaping marketing faster than the field can measure it.
Marketing organizations are adopting artificial intelligence at very different rates, with little shared language for what maturity actually looks like. Vendor surveys tend to overstate adoption; anecdotes fill the gaps.
The Chicago AI Marketing Report exists to establish an independent, methodologically transparent benchmark — one that lets organizations understand where they stand relative to their peers, and lets the wider community track how the field evolves year over year.
It is designed to be published annually for the next decade, building a longitudinal record of how a major American marketing community adapts to a generational shift in technology.
A representative cross-section of American marketing.
Chicago is home to global agencies, Fortune 500 brands, high-growth technology firms, and a dense community of independent practitioners. That diversity makes it an unusually good place to study how AI adoption plays out across the full range of marketing organizations — not just the earliest adopters.
- Agencies
- From global holding companies to independent shops.
- Brands
- Consumer, B2B, and enterprise marketing teams.
- Technology
- A growing base of software and platform companies.
- Practitioners
- Individual marketers across every discipline.
How organizations take part
Participation is open to marketing professionals at Chicago-area organizations. The survey takes about twelve minutes.
Complete the survey
Answer questions across eleven areas of marketing practice. Your progress saves automatically.
Receive your score
Get an AI Marketing Maturity Score with category breakdowns, strengths, and growth opportunities.
See the benchmark
Compare against the emerging average and receive the full report when it is published.
The 2026 cycle
Each annual report follows the same disciplined cadence, from data collection through publication.
- Q1 2026
Survey opens
The benchmark survey opens to qualified Chicago-area marketing organizations.
- Q1–Q2 2026In progress
Responses collected
Data collection continues as organizations across industries participate.
- Q2 2026
Analysis
Responses are validated, anonymized, and analyzed against the scoring framework.
- Q3 2026
Report drafting
Findings are synthesized and reviewed with research advisors for accuracy.
- Q4 2026
Publication
The inaugural Chicago AI Marketing Report is published and made freely available.
- Q1 2027
2027 survey opens
The second annual cycle begins, enabling year-over-year comparison.
Early findings
Selected observations published ahead of the full report.
Where Chicago Marketers Are Using AI Today
An early look at the workflows where AI has moved from experiment to habit across Chicago marketing teams.
July 17, 2026The Top Barriers to AI Adoption
Skills, governance, and data readiness surface as the recurring constraints slowing marketing teams.
July 19, 2026AI Confidence by Company Size
Larger organizations report more structure, but smaller teams often move faster.
July 21, 2026Frequently asked questions
Organizations helping distribute the survey across the Chicago marketing community.
Advisors who help guide the methodology and safeguard research integrity.
- Advisor NameResearch Advisor, Academic Institution
- Advisor NameResearch Advisor, Industry Association
- Advisor NameResearch Advisor, Marketing Organization
Follow the research
Receive new findings, methodology notes, and an early copy of the 2026 report when it publishes. No more than a few emails a year.