Tying AI to Impact: Turning AI Hype Into Real Marketing ROI
Every marketing team is talking about AI. But few can prove it’s actually driving business results. In this session, Christine Royston, CMO at Wrike, joins Sequel.io’s CEO, Oana Manolache, to unpack how Wrike transformed AI from a buzzword into a measurable growth driver. They’ll share how Christine’s team set ambitious efficiency OKRs, achieved a 68% lift in marketing output, and redefined how success is measured in an AI-powered org.
- Expect an honest look at what it really takes to:
- Translate AI adoption into tangible ROI
- Balance automation with human creativity
- Build data structures that make AI work for you—not the other way around
- Redefine skill sets and roles for the modern marketing org
If you’ve been tasked with “doing more with less,” this is the playbook for proving AI’s real impact on pipeline and growth.
AI seems to be everywhere these days, but at Wrike, they’re doing more than just talking about it—they’re putting it to work. Christine Royston, the Chief Marketing Officer at Wrike, recently shared some down-to-earth insights on how her team is using AI to transform the way they do marketing. Spoiler alert: it’s not as complicated as you might think.
When it comes to AI, Wrike isn’t just using it for show. They’re using it to solve real problems and make life easier for their team. Christine started by tackling the big question: how do you make sure AI is actually contributing to the business? She said, “We’ve always been a very data-driven company, so we started by figuring out—does AI actually save us time, or boost our lead conversions?”
Wrike set out to improve efficiency by 10% with AI, but they’ve completely outdone themselves. Christine shared, “We’ve seen even higher numbers in some teams,” and it’s largely because her team embraced what AI could do. Instead of moving the goalposts midway, she leaned back to see just how much AI could do on its own.
AI’s biggest hit at Wrike has been in content creation and taking the grunt work out of repetitive tasks. Imagine squeezing social media post creation down to three minutes instead of fifteen. That’s what AI has helped Wrike do. Christine also talked about a nifty AI image generator that lets anyone make visuals in just five minutes, totally bypassing the usual design request delays. AI isn’t just about working faster; it’s also about working smarter. Wrike’s sales team saw improvements after adopting tools like Qualified. “We’re seeing larger deal sizes because we’re getting people the info they need, faster,” Christine said. Pretty cool, right?
On top of that, they’ve been sorting out their data, making sure everything is in order so AI tools can do their thing without hitting roadblocks. It’s not glamorous, but it’s essential. Christine is all about AI being more than just a tool; she sees it as a partner in creativity. “AI, it’s more than a helper now,” she mentioned, highlighting how it frees up the team for bigger, more strategic challenges.
Looking ahead, AI won’t just be a part of the picture; it’ll be helping paint the whole canvas for Wrike’s future plans. Christine is setting ambitious goals and isn’t afraid to try new things. “We need to rethink how we work and make sure we’re always evolving,” she said.
Christine Royston’s take on AI at Wrike is refreshingly practical: focus on what works, and let AI be a real team player. Her approach shows that when done right, AI can be a huge boon, not just some fancy tech buzzword. Whether you’re a marketer or just someone interested in how AI can be more than sci-fi, there’s a lot to learn here about letting AI handle the heavy lifting while you focus on the big picture.
