CMO ROLE GAINING CONFIDENCE: ONLY 10% DOUBT POSITION'S FUTURE

LATEST DEVELOPMENT

New World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) research reveals marketers' confidence in the CMO position has significantly improved, with just 10% believing the role won't exist by 2030, down from 19% five years ago.

INDUSTRY TALK

BY THE NUMBERS

Research findings include:

• 600 businesses surveyed across 25 countries

• $90 billion (£69bn) cumulative global marketing spend represented

• 43% of marketing leaders view C-suite influence as crucial

• 46% of leading marketers hold board-level appointments

• Only 40% of marketing leaders actually carry the CMO title

LEADERSHIP DIFFERENTIATORS

Performance gaps include:

• 63% of leading marketers have fundamental foundations in place vs. 39% of underperformers

• 75% of high performers balance fundamentals with innovation vs. 59% of underperformers

• 11% less concern about short-term pressures among successful leaders

• 43% of top marketers prioritize consumer insights vs. just 24% of struggling brands

• 97% of competitive leaders cite fast decision-making as critical

TRANSFORMATION PRIORITIES

Key focus areas highlighted by:

• Cross-functional integration essential for 78% of leading marketers

• Only 29% cite transformational tech/people change as extremely important

• Balance between marketing fundamentals and innovation proving critical

• Greater emphasis on long-term strategy among high performers

• Cross-team collaboration emerging as competitive differentiator

THE BOTTOM LINE

As the CMO role continues to evolve amid technological disruption, leading marketers are finding renewed confidence by balancing innovation with core marketing principles—demonstrating that success comes not from chasing every trend but from building strong foundations while strategically embracing transformation at the right pace.