How much of our marketing budget should go to AI?

Start with the work you want to change

List the tasks, current costs, constraints and expected benefit. A useful budget connects spending to those jobs. A peer benchmark does not explain whether your data, team or workflow is ready.

Include costs that demos omit

• Setup and source cleanup.
• Tool subscriptions and variable usage.
• Integration and maintenance.
• Training and human review.
• Security evaluation and exit planning.

Allocate in stages

Fund a bounded test first. Reserve a separate amount for expansion only if agreed quality and cost conditions are met. Define who can approve moving from pilot to live operation.

Illustrative editorial image, not a customer result.

Show the tradeoff

State what will receive less budget if the project is funded. For example, a drafting pilot may compete with campaign production or training. Make the decision visible rather than describing AI as an extra budget that costs nothing elsewhere.

Bring a decision sheet

Write the task, full cost range, evidence needed, stop condition and next review date on one page. Ask finance to challenge the assumptions before you commit to a recurring contract.

Discussion behind the question

This is original practical guidance prompted by a public discussion theme, not a claim that the poster represents all CMOs. Read the source discussion.

See how this could work for your team

Request a demo focused on this question, your current tools and the information your team already approves. SimplSolutions will confirm the available connections, scope and human review before proposing a setup. Request your demo.