21. How many marketing organizations are already using AI agents today? - with Frans Riemersma

In this episode, we talk with Frans Riemersma, founder of MartechTribe and co-author of the "MarTech for 2026" report about cutting through the AI hype. He reveals what's actually happening in marketing: 90% claim to use AI agents, but only 23% have them in production. Frans shares his brutally practical approach: forget the experiments, follow the money to your biggest customers and highest-margin products, focus on 2-4 journeys that drive 80% of revenue, and watch out for anyone stuck in "always/never" thinking.

https://www.martechtribe.com/

(00:38) - Introduction and Welcoming

(01:33) - The MarTech Research on Agents: What is Going On?

(04:50) - Agent Adoption: Hype vs. Reality

(8:18) - From Technology Stack to Organizational Thinking

(13:50) - The IT-Marketing Power Struggle and Why Marketing Lost the Boardroom

(19:28) - Introducing Value Engineering: From Cost-Cutting to Revenue Growth

(24:35) - Ownership and Experimentation

(27:48) - Brand, Narrative, and the Hack, Pack, Stack methodology

(39:26) - Customer Journey Ownership and Breaking Down Silos with Context

(45:38) - Bringing Joy Back to Marketing and How to Connect with Frans