2026从创意负责人到增长架构师：现代首席营销官代理型AI行动指南

March 2026 Foreword Sumit SrivastavPartner and Leader, Agentic AutomationPwC India This is where agentic AI comes in. It is enablingCMOs to reimagine how marketing works atits core, and to move beyond execution andproductivity to a realm where agentic systemscan predict trends, prioritise channel investments,and balance ROI with longer-term impact. The technology transformation we are witnessingtoday is unprecedented. As AI continues toreshape our world, we at PwC have beenworking extensively with clients to realise valueacross functions as diverse as finance, HR, IT,and supply chain. The marketing function, inparticular, has been reinventing itself throughemerging AI systems and solutions. This leads to the question: How does agenticAI support the CMO’s mandate? I believe, withagentic AI, CMOs have a real opportunity todesign a new operating model that can repositionthem from being custodians of the brand toarchitecting it—designing the intent, outcomes,and guardrails within which intelligent systemsoperate. It is a completely different matter howCMOs actually leverage these newer systems.That will determine whether they bring short-term productivity gains or use agentic AI to fuelenterprise growth. So far, marketing was looked upon as thecommunicator of a brand, creating content andexecuting creative campaigns. But with shiftingpriorities caused by economic, global, political,and other factors, CMOs have woken up toa new reality—and it boils down to just oneoutcome—impact. The good thing is, marketingleaders have realised this early on in the processand are trying to leverage technology to strike aconscious balance between ambition and reality,brand health and market share, and engagementand margins. By getting it right, CMOs can unlocknew sources of innovation and growth. In this report, we have explored how CMOs canempower themselves to leverage the power ofagentic AI to plan with purpose, execute withprecision, and measure the impact. One thingis for sure: If AI is approached simply to trimexpenses, its impact will be limited. But whenit is embraced as a driver of growth, it cansignificantly expand marketing’s contribution andunlock far greater business results. What is interesting is that during the course of myinteraction with various clients, I have come torealise that in essence CEOs, CFOs, and CMOswant the same thing—sustainable growth. On theflip side, however, they aren’t often aligned about‘how’ they would achieve that growth. The CEO mandate is clear—revenue, efficiency,and speed. For CFOs, it is about measuringthe commercial impact of marketing. CMOsare hemmed in by the two, with the goal ofbuilding long-term value while their performanceis measured on immediate wins. Thus, it is notalways easy to align on what is ‘measurablemarketing performance’. Looking into the future, I am certain thatmarketing will move beyond the traditional realmto incorporate intelligent and adaptive systemsthat provide scale and speed. 01Plan with purpose If 2025 has taught us anything, it’s this: In a world of relentless disruption, the difference betweensurvival and excellence is impeccable execution and innovation. For marketing to become a growthpartner, CMOs need to plan decisively, turning efficiency into effective gains, data into decisions, andcampaigns into measurable value. Strategic planning therefore does not have to be arduous; it just needs to be calculated. Here are fiveprinciples that can help CMOs drive impact while creating a marketing plan: Let’s look at how agentic AI can connect the dotsand help CMOs plan their strategy. Align with the core business strategy must adopt a well-rounded and deliberateapproach to integrate technology within eachstage of the marketing journey. This will enablethem to work alongside their existing teams tomaximise process efficiency. This goes beyondjust introducing new and standalone tools withintheir existing ecosystem. Whether the goal is toincrease brand awareness, reach newer markets,improve revenue, or increase product or serviceadoption, agentic AI can help leaders achievetailored outcomes with thoughtful planning anditerative deployment. To craft a winning marketing strategy, the firststep for CMOs is to understand the core businessgoals. This includes clarity on how the enterpriseplans to compete and succeed in the nearterm and long term and how the function cancontribute to larger success. Once aligned with the broader organisationalvision, marketing leaders can create theirroadmap using the three key levers of people,process, and technology, and its likely impact.Effectively, this means that marketing teams Identify gaps goals. It is important to identify any white spacesthat are keeping the teams from reaching thosegoals. With the strategic roadmap determined, the nextstep for CMOs is to assess the strengths andweaknesses of their teams to deliver business This report shows that most CMOs are struggling with three core challenges: tal