AI Explored Podcast: "New AI Marketing Study: 60% Do This Daily..."

Host: Michael Stelzner (Founder, Social Media Examiner)

Guest/Co-host: Dan Sanchez (Senior AI Marketing Strategist, Social Media Examiner)

Date: October 10, 2025

Episode Overview

This special episode of AI Explored centers on the just-released 2025 AI Marketing Industry Report authored by Michael Stelzner. Drawing on survey responses from over 730 marketers worldwide, Michael and Dan unpack the data, revealing how AI adoption has accelerated, what tools are leading, and the opportunities and challenges marketers face. The discussion is lively, practical, optimistic, and addresses marketers, creators, and business owners looking to leverage AI effectively.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: Study Significance & Methodology

• Michael highlights Social Media Examiner’s history of annual studies and the shift from focusing on "generative AI" to simply "AI" given widespread use. Their research is rooted in a scientific approach, using open-ended and quantitative questions for a nuanced understanding.
  • [03:01] “We at Social Media Examiner have always had a research philosophy around everything that we do. We try to gather insights to understand deeply how marketers view trends and changes in the world.” (Michael)
• The 2025 report includes new questions addressing fresh, practical concerns among marketers.

2. Job Security & AI: Misconceptions and Realities

• There’s prevalent anxiety that AI may take marketers’ jobs, but the data tells a more nuanced story.
  • [04:59] “Only 20% of marketers that we surveyed... feel that it's a threat to their jobs.” (Michael)
  • Even though 36% believe AI will displace jobs in general, only 20% think their own job is at risk.
  • 70% of marketers believe AI will create new opportunities—suggesting optimism rather than fear dominates.
• Two possible reasons for low concern:
  • Marketers are either unaware of AI’s capabilities or are confident (perhaps overconfident) in their adaptability and value.
• Dan points out human bias—many believe they are “above average” and so feel safer, but warns that this confidence could be misplaced as AI advances.
  • [08:39] “Most people will rank themselves above average. So I think there's a little bit of that confidence thing happening.” (Dan)
• Michael urges marketers not to be complacent: those embracing AI will become “super marketers;” those ignoring it do so “at their own peril.”
  • [09:57] “Marketers that are ignoring it are ignoring it at their own peril. I think it should be a lot higher than 20% as far as fear of job loss.” (Michael)

3. AI Adoption: The Daily Norm

• AI daily use among marketers has skyrocketed:
  • [13:13] “In 2024... 37% of marketers were using AI every day. Now 60% of marketers are using AI every day. That's a massive, massive increase.” (Michael)
  • 84% have increased their use over the last year; 82% plan to increase it further.
  • Michael calls this a "wake up call"—daily use is becoming the norm, with laggards at risk of falling behind.
    • [13:13] “If you're not using it daily, you are in the minority, and you might actually be falling behind.” (Michael)
• Dan likens AI to a new “operating system” for marketing, not a mere specialization or department.
  • [16:11] “AI is going to be the new operating system of which we do everything.” (Dan)
• Michael underscores the importance of habits—consistent, systematic use unlocks real benefits.

4. Biggest Challenges: Time & Learning

• Top challenge: Learning and understanding AI (23%).
  • [19:59] “The biggest challenge that marketers have... is learning and understanding AI.” (Michael)
• Paradox: Lack of time to learn is the top barrier, but the #1 benefit (as cited by 90%) is that AI saves time—once learned!
  • [21:36] “If I told you that if you did one thing for one hour, it would, it would automatically give you three hours extra time a day, would you do it? ...People just haven't understood that the small investment they make in learning AI has a massive unlock which is giving them time.” (Michael)
• Dan empathizes: lack of clear starting points and resource overload contribute to learning paralysis.
  • [23:28] “It's not exactly clear where to start often, which is why people want to learn more about prompting.” (Dan)
• Solution: Bite-sized, actionable training (as seen in their YouTube series) helps lower the barrier and rapidly upskill marketers.

5. AI Skills Marketers Want Most

• Prompting techniques are the top topic marketers want to master (81%).
  • [25:45] “81% of marketers said that they want to learn prompting techniques.” (Michael)
  • Prompting is considered foundational, and many new users see pre-written prompts as templates.
  • Dan compares learning prompting to progressing in design by first adapting templates in Canva.
    • [28:01] “It's foundational, it's kind of the entry level thing that you have to learn before you can get into the more advanced things when it comes to AI.” (Dan)
• Other top topics:
  • AI tools (80%)
  • Automations and workflows (79%)
• Prompting is also described as an “art form” that improves overall communication skills with both AI and humans.
  • [29:06] “The more you can be clear in exactly what it is you want and the more context you provide, the greater likelihood they're going to get it right on the first go round.” (Michael)

6. Top AI Tools and Platforms in Use

• ChatGPT is the undisputed leader: used by 90% of marketers.
• Google Gemini is the surprise runner-up: used by 51% (up from 33% last year); its seamless integration into Google Workspace has driven this growth.
  • [31:30] “Half of marketers are using Google Gemini. That's up from 33% last year. That is a massive shift.” (Michael)
• Integration in core business tools (Gmail, Docs, Sheets) and cost structure (bundled with Workspace) makes Gemini increasingly dominant.
  • Gemini excels in multimodality (video, audio, images, text), real-time data access, and integration.
  • [34:52] “Gemini is built into Gmail, it's built into Google Docs, it's built into Google Sheets... it can help you with mathematics, analysis, all that kind of stuff.” (Michael)
• Dan praises Gemini for its rapid advances, especially relative to OpenAI’s speed and available features.
  • [33:29] “I've heard more and more people moving over to Gemini as their primary tool and it's because Gemini is just getting better.” (Dan)
• Special mention: Nano Banana—an image generation feature in Gemini lauded for near-perfect photo manipulation, possibly a real "Photoshop killer" for basic users.
  • [38:44] “Imagine what you would have said, ‘Oh, if we could Photoshop this’—Nano Banana can just do that with the prompt now, upload your image, Photoshop it to do this. It's done.” (Dan)

7. AI and Video: The Next Frontier

• Video is now the most important content format for 46% of marketers.
• Yet only 22% are currently using AI for video, even as 69% want to learn more.
  • AI video has lagged due to technical barriers (rendering physics, processing power, realism), but that’s rapidly changing with tools like Google’s V0.
  • [40:08] “I think that that's just like AI hasn't been able to handle [video] yet. Plus, some of the challenges early with video was understanding physics... the physics just weren't there.” (Michael)
• Dan notes video-generation tools are shifting from “toys” to “professional tools,” rapidly approaching the quality and reliability needed for business use.
  • [43:07] “As it becomes more reliable, it becomes more useful for marketers.” (Dan)

Memorable Quotes

• [04:59] Michael: “Despite the fact that the majority of marketers are using AI, they do not see AI as a threat to their jobs… only one in five marketers see it as a threat to their jobs.”
• [13:13] Michael: “In 2024... 37% of marketers were using AI every day. Now 60% of marketers are using AI every day. That's a massive, massive increase.”
• [16:11] Dan: “AI is going to be the new operating system of which we do everything.”
• [21:36] Michael: “People just haven't understood that the small investment they make in learning AI has a massive unlock which is giving them time. Yet it's the biggest challenge that they face.”
• [25:45] Michael: “Prompting is the basic stuff. The challenge with prompting is you're just looking at a screen. You don't know what to put in there. Right.”
• [31:30] Michael: “But the big shocker is that... it's Google's Gemini but it came in second at a major 51%.”
• [38:44] Dan: “[Nano Banana]... can do what you would have said, ‘Oh, if we could Photoshop this’—Nano Banana can just do that with the prompt now... I think that's why it's such a magical tool.”

Key Timestamps

• [02:01] Dan introduces episode focus and Michael as guest.
• [04:59] Job security, fear vs optimism, and data from the report.
• [13:13] Daily AI usage leap and implications for marketers.
• [19:59] Main challenges for marketers: time, learning, and the "catch-22" of AI’s biggest benefit.
• [25:45] AI learning priorities: prompting, tools, automation.
• [31:22] Top AI platforms used: ChatGPT, Gemini, and the rationale.
• [37:15] Gemini’s Nano Banana and disruptive image editing.
• [40:08] AI for video content: current limits and coming breakthroughs.

Final Takeaways & Resources

• AI is not a threat for most marketers—it’s a force multiplier and a source of new opportunity.
• Daily use of AI is rapidly becoming the standard for marketers.
• Learning and experimenting, even in small bursts, pays major dividends.
• Tools like Gemini are quickly becoming essential; staying ahead means adopting, not waiting.
• For those not already using AI in daily workflows, the time to start is now.

Get the full 2025 AI Marketing Industry Report:
SocialMediaExaminer.com/AIreport2025

This summary captures the core themes, key data points, and strategic advice, making it invaluable for marketers seeking actionable insights into AI’s role in the industry as of 2025, even if they haven’t heard the episode.