What Global CMOs Want in 2026: Strategic Priorities and Agency Expectations

805 international marketing leaders reveal how AI is reshaping the future of brand-building in the CMO Barometer from Serviceplan Group, University of St. Gallen, and Heidrick & Struggles

Munich, Nov. 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Based on exclusive insights from 805 marketing decision-makers across 15 countries and regions¹, the CMO Barometer 2026 provides a data-driven snapshot of the strategies, expectations, and skill sets defining the future of marketing. The international study, now in its seventh year, is conducted by independent agency network Serviceplan Group in collaboration with the University of St. Gallen (HSG), and for the first time, executive search and leadership consultancy Heidrick & Struggles.

“The marketing system as we knew it is being rewritten,” says Florian Haller, CEO Serviceplan Group. “AI is no longer a side project – it is core to the function. CMOs must now be visionaries and transformation leaders, guiding their teams through systemic change.”

Key global findings:

• 2026 CMO Barometer confirms a fundamental industry shift: 68% of respondents say AI will be the defining topic of 2026, influencing every aspect of their strategy.
• The role of the CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) is expanding: CMOs are increasingly expected to act as Chief Transformation Officers, who can master both tech and human dynamics.
• Budgets remain uncertain: 32% of CMOs expect increases, 30% expect budget cuts, and 38% predict stability.
• Economic optimism is weakening overall, except in the Middle East where more than half of CMOs still expect growth.
• Despite the rise of AI, proactivity and ideas are still top expectations from agencies.
  
  

What is the top focus for marketers in 2026?

AI is the clear top priority for CMOs in 2026.

In the 2026 CMO Barometer, 68% of respondents say AI is their top focus for 2026. Following it are Brand Building (17%) and Personalisation (8%), both also tightly linked to AI-driven marketing strategies. No previous trend has so thoroughly reshaped the focus of the marketing industry.

AI ranks among the top two priorities in nearly every country surveyed. When asked about the most important aspects of integrating AI, most CMOs pointed to:

• Efficiency and Integration (51%) as key
• The need to rethink how humans and machines collaborate in day-to-day marketing work (20%) as the second key focus

Interestingly, Switzerland, France, and the UK stood out as exceptions: in these countries, AI was not the stand-alone priority. CMOs placed equal emphasis on Customer Experience, Personalisation, and ROI-driven data marketing.

Internationalisation also emerged as a major focus for CMOs in the Middle East (63%) and the UK (62%), underlining how global expansion remains a parallel pressure alongside technological transformation.

What are the economic forecasts for 2026?

CMOs are optimistic about technology but economic confidence is in shorter supply.

• 20% of CMOs expect economic conditions to improve in 2026
• 29% of CMOs expect economic conditions to worsen in 2026
• 51% (the majority) expect economic conditions to stay stable in 2026

Regional outlooks vary sharply: economic optimism is highest in the Middle East, where more than half foresee growth.

Marketing budgets reflect this general caution: while 32% expect increases and 30% expect cuts, most CMOs (38%) believe budgets will remain flat. Regionally, Italy is the most positive market (45%), closely followed by the UK, the Middle East, and the Netherlands.

When it comes to industry sectors, banking, IT, and telecoms are the most bullish ones, with energy and healthcare showing moderate confidence. Meanwhile, industries like automotive continue to lead the budget pessimism charts and are bracing for turbulence, with 52% expecting worsening conditions.

CMOs step into transformation leadership

AI’s rise is also redefining leadership. The 2026 CMO Barometer reveals a reshuffling of the skills CMOs believe they need most:

• digital and tech capabilities (45%) now top the list
• customer orientation (39%)
• leadership/team management (38%) – which was the leading skill in last year’s edition.

“The real imperative for marketers is to return to the fundamentals: creating value through brand and category,” says Guilherme Ferreira, Global Brand VP at Cadbury. “It’s not about chasing short-term tactics. It’s about telling a compelling story about why your brand exists and anchoring that in business impact.”

To do that, CMOs must navigate a series of paradoxes – they’re expected to:

• Champion AI while preserving human authenticity
• Move fast while staying strategically grounded
• Embrace creativity without abandoning analytical rigor

Sara Terraneo, eCommerce and Omnichannel Director at Arcaplanet, puts it this way: “CMOs today can’t just run marketing departments. They must act as architects of transformation, bringing together purpose, data and people.”

Where do CMOs get industry updates?

When asked where they get their industry knowledge, most CMOs cite LinkedIn and social media posts from relevant thought leaders and companies (60%), followed by consultancy and agency insights (48%) and industry conferences and trade shows (47%).

Prof. Dr. Sven Reinecke, Executive Director, University of St. Gallen (HSG): “The CMO Barometer shows that marketing academia and practice must collaborate more closely to provide actionable knowledge. Academic journals alone don’t cut it anymore – we need digestible, digital, and creative knowledge exchange.”

What brands need from their agencies?

Top capabilities CMOs expect from their agencies in 2026:

• Creativity and original thinking still at the top (69%)
• Innovation (61%)
• Proactivity (54%)
• Support in managing internal transformation (44%) – for the first time

Surprisingly, only 12% expect agencies to lead on AI-specific skills – indicating that brands see AI as their own strategic challenge, not something to outsource.

“Marketing is no longer about colorful visuals or sales promos,” adds Julia Zimmermann, Executive Partner at Future Marketing, Part of Serviceplan Group. “It’s become a performance engine where brand, trust, and technology must align. Agencies that understand this – and reignite a sense of joy and momentum in their client relationships – will be the ones that thrive.”

Read the entire report here.

_{¹ incl. Austria, Belgium & Luxembourg, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Middle East, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom (UK).}

NOTES TO EDITORS

About the CMO Barometer 

The CMO Barometer is an annual study surveying top marketers from 14 European countries and the Middle East. Now in its seventh edition, it is conducted by Serviceplan Group in collaboration with the University of St. Gallen and executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles.

In September 2025, 805 marketing leaders from across industries and company sizes took part in the survey. Countries included: Germany, Austria, Belgium & Luxembourg, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the UK, and the Middle East.

About University of St. Gallen (HSG)

The Institute for Marketing and Customer Insight at HSG is a globally respected academic institution, known for its impact in marketing and customer insight research across academia, business, and society.

About Heidrick & Struggles

Heidrick & Struggles is a premier provider of global leadership advisory and on-demand talent solutions, serving the senior-level talent and consulting needs of the world's top organizations. In our role as trusted leadership advisors, we partner with our clients to develop future-ready leaders and organizations, bringing together our services and offerings in executive search, inclusion, leadership assessment and development, organization and team acceleration, culture shaping, and on-demand, independent talent solutions. Heidrick & Struggles pioneered the profession of executive search more than 70 years ago. Today, the firm provides integrated talent and human capital solutions to help our clients change the world, one leadership team at a time.

About Serviceplan Group

Serviceplan Group is Europe’s largest independent, partner-led agency group. Founded in 1970 as a traditional ad agency, it quickly developed the “House of Communication” concept – the only fully integrated agency model in Europe today, combining Creative & Content, Media & Data, and Experience & Commerce under one roof.

With 43 owned offices and additional partnerships, Serviceplan operates in 24 countries and all major economic regions worldwide.

Attachments

• CMO Barometer 2026_Full Report
• Key Visual CMO Barometer 2026

MEDIA CONTACT Maria Astraukh Senior International Corporate Communications Manager, Serviceplan Group Email: m.astraukh@house-of-communication.com Mob: +49 1520 353 16 44