CMOs must focus on transcending disruption, amplifying business impact, and maximizing marketing revenues
With increasing pressure to drive growth and support cross-functional working, the Gartner, Inc.. identified three priorities for CMOs (Chief Marketing Officers) achieve excellence in marketing during the year 2025.
These priorities include:
· Transcend disruption by bridging the gap between marketing strategy and operations;
· Increase impact across the enterprise by leading marketing to deliver differentiation;
· Maximize marketing returns by prioritizing investments in the customer journey.
“Marketing faces extraordinary expectations heading into 2025, and CMOs cannot afford to risk incremental change when the business expects transformative results,” he says. Ewan McIntyre, Vice President and Chief Research Analyst at Gartner. “A laser-sharp focus on marketing excellence is essential. By applying their resources with even greater vision and discipline, CMOs will earn the trust of the business to expand their leadership and stewardship capabilities.”
Bridge the gap between marketing strategy and operations:
In a survey of 395 CMOs conducted between February and March 2024, respondents said they dedicate nearly 40% of their budget to activities focused on change and transformation. The problem is that constant disruption distracts from long-term goals. CMOs must identify where tactical thinking has replaced strategic discipline and dedicate resources to ongoing strategy management, such as staff time, training, and tools.
“Strategy management capability is a self-sustaining investment. While strategy management is an essential part of the CMO’s role, it cannot occur without a supporting organizational capability,” says McIntyre.
Lead marketing to deliver differentiation:
Many CMOs are not reaching their growth potential—both in terms of delivering business results and maximizing their leadership effectiveness. In a survey of 125 CEOs (Chief Executive Officer) and CFOs (Chief Financial Officers) conducted between August and September 2024, executive leaders reported that only 141% of CMOs are effective at shaping the market, that is, influencing its dynamics by identifying and satisfying unmet customer needs. Companies in which CMOs are effective at shaping the market are 2.6 times more likely to exceed revenue and profit targets.
Market-shaping CMOs stand out from their C-suite peers with their exceptional skill in data-driven decision-making, strategy management, and market insight. These skills help CMOs extract meaning from data and translate trends into visionary strategies.
“This skill set is different from just understanding or empathizing with the customer,” he says. Sharon Singer Ceurvorst, Research Vice President at Gartner. “With customer data increasingly available to all functions, the advantage for CMOs lies in being able to synthesize insights from a number of different sources to find opportunities for differentiation.”
Prioritize investments in the customer journey:
Because understanding customers is a key driver of marketing-driven growth, CMOs should be concerned that many customers feel misunderstood by brands. In a survey of more than 6,000 U.S. consumers conducted in July and August 2024, 58% reported that companies trying to sell them something don’t have a good understanding of their needs and preferences. As a result, many marketing campaigns underperform, wasting budgets, resources, and opportunities.
“What’s perplexing is that marketing has never had more access to data, or more technology to build customer understanding and target messaging. Right now, technology-driven customer engagement is at an inflection point,” says McIntyre. “The vast majority of marketing teams are accelerating AI initiatives; 951% of CMOs in 2024 reported that investing in Generative AI (GenAI) is a priority.”
CMOs should avoid the risks of AI-driven overreach and prioritize investments in the customer journey with the highest economic return. A data-driven, hypothesis-driven approach will help rebuild emotional connections with customers who feel misunderstood and drive a mutually productive growth engine.
Gartner clients can read more in the report “Leadership Vision for 2025: Chief Marketing Officer” and Gartner's Leadership Vision eBook.
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O Gartner for Marketing provides expert, objective advice and the proven tools CMOs and other marketing leaders need to seize the right opportunities with clarity and confidence, staying ahead of the trends that matter. With in-depth research and analysis, Gartner for Marketing helps you focus on opportunities with the greatest potential to deliver results. More information about Gartner for Marketing are available in www.gartner.com/marketing.
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