What AI tools do top CMOs use?

The Short Version

Leading CMOs aren't using a single "best" AI tool—they're building a stack of complementary platforms. The pattern across top marketing teams is clear: general-purpose AI for thinking and research, specialized tools for production, and marketing-native platforms for execution and measurement.

Core AI Tools Top CMOs Deploy

General-Purpose AI (The Thinking Layer)

Every CMO workshop and team we've observed uses Claude and ChatGPT as their primary reasoning engines:

• Claude (Anthropic) — Preferred for strategic thinking, market analysis, and complex multi-step research. CMOs cite better reasoning for synthesizing competitive intelligence and building go-to-market strategies. $20/month (Claude Pro) or $0.80 per million input tokens (API).
• ChatGPT Plus/Teams — Used for rapid ideation, content outlines, and cross-functional collaboration. Better for iterative brainstorming with teams. $20/month (Plus) or $30/user/month (Teams).
• Perplexity AI — Increasingly popular for real-time market research and competitive intelligence because it searches the web and cites sources. $20/month (Pro).

Top teams use these tools for:

• Synthesizing market research into actionable insights
• Building competitive battle cards
• Developing positioning and messaging frameworks
• Analyzing customer feedback at scale

Content & Creative Production

• Midjourney — Dominant choice for visual content, campaign concepts, and brand asset exploration. Used in 80%+ of CMO teams we've surveyed. $10–$120/month depending on usage.
• Jasper — Purpose-built for marketing copy, email campaigns, and long-form content. Integrates with brand voice and marketing workflows. $39–$125/month.
• Copy.ai — Lighter-weight alternative for social media, ad copy, and rapid content iteration. $49–$499/month.
• Runway — Emerging choice for video editing, motion graphics, and short-form video production. $12–$55/month.

Marketing-Native AI Platforms

These tools embed AI directly into marketing operations:

• HubSpot AI — Integrated into CRM for lead scoring, email subject line generation, and sales enablement. Included in HubSpot Pro+ ($800+/month) or standalone.
• Marketo/Adobe Marketo Engage — AI-powered lead scoring and predictive analytics for enterprise teams. $1,200+/month.
• Segment — Customer data platform with AI-driven insights and audience segmentation. Custom pricing, $1,200+/month.
• Klaviyo — E-commerce focused; AI for email optimization and predictive analytics. $20–$1,200+/month.

Market Research & Competitive Intelligence

• Semrush — SEO, competitive intelligence, and content gap analysis. $120–$450/month.
• SimilarWeb — Website traffic analysis and competitive benchmarking. Custom pricing.
• Brandwatch — Social listening and sentiment analysis powered by AI. Custom pricing, $2,000+/month.

How Top CMOs Structure Their AI Stack

The Three-Layer Framework

Based on practitioner insights from AI Ready CMO workshops, the most effective teams organize AI into three layers:

1. Insights Layer (Research & Strategy)

• Use Claude or ChatGPT to synthesize market data, customer feedback, and competitive intelligence
• Feed structured research questions, not random queries
• Build connected insights, not isolated answers
• Output: Positioning frameworks, market sizing, competitive battle cards

2. Strategy Layer (Planning & Messaging)

• Use AI to develop go-to-market strategies, messaging hierarchies, and campaign concepts
• Leverage AI for scenario planning and strategic alternatives
• Output: Campaign briefs, messaging matrices, audience segmentation

3. Execution Layer (Production & Measurement)

• Use specialized tools (Jasper, Midjourney, HubSpot) for content production and campaign deployment
• Use marketing platforms for measurement, attribution, and optimization
• Output: Assets, campaigns, performance data

Real-World Spending Patterns

Top CMO teams allocate AI budgets as follows:

• Startups/SMB ($500–$1,500/month): ChatGPT Plus, Midjourney, Jasper, basic HubSpot
• Mid-Market ($2,000–$5,000/month): Claude Pro, ChatGPT Teams, Midjourney, Jasper, HubSpot Pro, Semrush, Perplexity
• Enterprise ($5,000+/month): Full stacks including Adobe/Marketo, Segment, Brandwatch, plus custom integrations

Critical Success Factors

Top CMOs don't just buy tools—they structure how they use them:

• Prompt engineering discipline — Teams develop templates and frameworks for consistent, high-quality outputs
• Data hygiene — Clean customer data and competitive intelligence fed into AI tools produces better insights
• Cross-functional workflows — AI tools are integrated into existing marketing operations, not siloed
• Continuous iteration — Top teams test new tools quarterly and retire underperformers
• Human oversight — AI outputs are reviewed, edited, and contextualized by experienced marketers

Tools to Avoid (Or Use Carefully)

• Generic AI writing tools (Copy.ai, Writesonic) — Often produce generic, brand-inconsistent copy without proper prompting
• "All-in-one" platforms — Usually mediocre at everything; better to combine best-of-breed tools
• Unvetted industry-specific tools — Many "AI for marketing" startups lack the depth of general-purpose models

Bottom Line

Top CMOs use Claude and ChatGPT for strategic thinking, Midjourney and Jasper for creative production, and marketing-native platforms (HubSpot, Marketo) for execution and measurement. The key differentiator isn't the tools themselves—it's structured workflows that move from insights to strategy to execution, combined with disciplined prompt engineering and human oversight. Budget $2,000–$5,000/month for a competitive mid-market stack.