CMO领航员：重新思考人工智能时代的营销

JANUARY 2026 I N T R O D U C T I O N ABOUT THE CMO NAVIGATOR The insights at the heart of this report were collected last fall and will be labeled with2025. Nonetheless, CMOs were asked to discuss their plans for the 12 months ahead,making this report a quintessential read to kick off 2026. At dentsu, we are driven to innovate. We innovate to ensure our clients cangrow theirbusinesses and to generate a positive effect on the industry, society, and the world. Weunderstand how consumer sentiment and expectations are evolving, and, at the sametime, we understand the challenges and opportunities brands are facing.We help businessleadersget a sense of how the marketplace will respond to both consumer needs andlargeshifts in technology and culture so they can develop their own unique points of view onhow their brands can stand out and better prepare for what’s next. Beyond offering an insight into CMO mindsets, this report also helps clients understandthe business climates stakeholders in different sectors and different parts of the world arenavigating. To better fulfill both objectives, we present Japan CMOs as a standaloneaudience in our regional deep dives, as our analysis showed that their sentiment andpoints ofview areoften at odds with their APAC colleagues. This is why welaunched thedentsu CMO Navigator as a companion piece to our ConsumerNavigator research platform. This global study, which was administered by B2BInternational in October 2025, collected insights from 1,950 marketing leadersacross 14countries. This report also leverages findings from our Consumer Navigator research platform tocompare CMO views on the landscape of culture and entertainment with their customers’views. This report is a companion piece to theDentsu Creative 2025 CMO Surveyand theCXEdition of the 2025 CMO Navigatorby Merkle, dentsu’s global experience andtransformation consultancy. To complete our exploration of marketing areas of focus, thisreport focuses on media transformation and media’s evolution into a strategic driver ofbusiness growth. Overall, you’ll see in the report that most CMOs now have a second job. Not only do theyneed to drive growth, but they also need to largely focus on the transformation of themarketing function in light ofAI’ssignificant impact on reshaping strategies across allmarkets and all sectors. With that in mind, let’s dive into the Executive Summary of ourfindings! CONTENTS 01EXECUTIVE SUMMARY02BUSINESS GROWTH INSPIRES AN OPTIMISTIC OUTLOOK03LEANING ON AI TO DELIVER ON A WIDENING MARKETING MANDATE04HOW AI IS RESHAPING CMO STRATEGIES05PARTNERING WITH SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT IP06MEDIA TRANSFORMATION IN THE ALGORITHMIC ERA07A NEW BREED OF GLOBAL CMO: THE PERCEPTIVE CMO08KEY TAKEAWAYS S E C T I O N0 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY HOW AI IS RESHAPING CMO STRATEGIES MEDIA TRANSFORMATION IN THE ALGORITHMIC ERA BUSINESS GROWTH INSPIRES AN OPTIMISTIC OUTLOOK In a very dynamic environment, CMOs are facing differentchallenges depending on the contexts in which their brandsoperate. Despite consumers’ pessimistic views on the economy, CMOs’outlook is largely optimistic as a result of positive businessperformance. CMOs are turning to media to bridge their brands' worlds andtheir consumers’ worlds. Artificial intelligence is top of mind for CMOs, but they needguidance to focus on the right opportunities. AI is having a profound impact on all CMOs’ strategiesregardless of their specific approaches, and its adoption is thecommon denominator among them. Tariff and trade volatility have not (yet?) impacted brands’business results, but it is informing slight caution. Despite strong consensus on the importance of attention, itsimpact across NextGen video has been unclear until now. As a vast majority of businesses report positive businessperformance, differentiation is sought in increasing investmentsin brand. The desire to lean into uncharted territories is likely leadingCMOs to seek support outside their organization. A NEW BREED OF GLOBAL CMO: THE PERCEPTIVE CMO Perceptive CMOs are more aligned with consumers when itcomes to how brands should connect with entertainment. LEANING ON AI TO DELIVER ON A WIDENING MARKETINGMANDATE PARTNERING WITH SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT IP CMOs are increasing their investment in a variety ofentertainment partnership opportunities to strengthen theirconnections with consumers. Perceptive CMOs drive better business results by living at theintersection of consumer wants and business needs. Redesigning marketing in the age of AI is the new mission ofCMOs. Perceptive CMOs invest more in innovation, businesstransformation and net new portfolios of offerings than theirpeers. In addition to IP partnerships, CMOs are making sure theirbrands are present in the spaces and communities whereentertainment is adapted and discussed. The scope of marketing responsibilities keeps growing asbusiness matures. CMOs forecast a radically transformed business landscape andwill pursue tra