AI Adoption in UK B2B Marketing

15 interviews · NVivo 15 · Aston University (CIM-accredited)

"Are you using AI?" is the wrong question. This research asked a harder one: when senior B2B marketers talk about AI adoption, what do they actually mean — and does it match what's happening inside their organisations?

The approach

15 semi-structured interviews (45–70 minutes each) with senior B2B marketing professionals across technology, finance, healthcare, logistics, retail, consumer goods, and professional services in the UK. Coded thematically in NVivo 15 using an abductive approach — combining TAM, TOE, RBV, Institutional Theory, and Responsible AI Governance with open coding for emergent themes.

The finding

AI adoption is not binary. Organisations describe AI very differently depending on whether the conversation is internal or external. Some have embedded it into measurable, routine processes to the point it's no longer discussed as "AI" at all. Others have extensive public AI narratives — annual report mentions, ethics pledges, pilot announcements — with comparatively little operational substance.

The Strategic–Symbolic Continuum

Full dissertation available on request · aayushi.agratha@gmail.com

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