WHAT GLOBAL CMOS WANT IN 2026: STRATEGIC PRIORITIES AND AGENCY EXPECTATIONS
26.11.2025
805 international marketing leaders reveal how AI is reshaping the future of brand-building in the CMO Barometer from Serviceplan Group, Solvay Brussels School, University of St. Gallen, and Heidrick & Struggles
Brussels, 26 November 2025 – Based on exclusive insights from 805 marketing decision-makers across 15 countries and regions*, 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, and Brussels School of Economics & Management in Belgium.
“The marketing system as we knew it is being rewritten,” says Peter Vande Graveele, CEO Serviceplan Group Belux. “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:
This year’s study confirms a fundamental industry shift: 68% of respondents say AI will be the defining topic of 2026, influencing every aspect of their strategy.
CMOs are stepping into a new role: Chief Transformation Officers, expected to master both tech and human dynamics.
Budgets remain uncertain: 32% expect increases, 30% expect cuts, and 38% predict stability.
Economic optimism is waning, except in the Middle East where more than half of CMOs still expect growth.
Proactivity and ideas are still top expectations from agencies – despite the AI boom.
What is the top focus for marketers in 2026
CMOs have never been so united around a top priority: AI is – and remains – the dominant focus for 2026, cited by 68% of respondents. 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, followed by the need to rethink how humans and machines collaborate in day-to-day marketing work (20%).
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
Despite the tech optimism, economic confidence is in shorter supply. Only 20% of CMOs expect economic conditions to improve in 2026, while 29% anticipate a downturn. The majority – 51% – expect things to remain stable. 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. This year’s study reveals a reshuffling of the skills CMOs believe they need most: digital and tech capabilities (45%) now top the list, followed by customer orientation (39%) and leadership/team management (38%) – which was the leading skill in last year’s edition.
CMOs must navigate a series of paradoxes: they’re expected to champion AI while preserving human authenticity; to move fast while staying strategically grounded; and to embrace creativity without abandoning analytical rigor.
Where 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%).
What brands need from their agencies
When asked what they want from agency partners in 2026, CMOs still rank creativity and original thinking at the top (69%), followed by innovation (61%) and proactivity (54%). But for the first time, support in managing internal transformation also makes the list (44%).
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.
Belgium’s marketing leaders reveal a sharp shift in sentiment for 2026.
Economic optimism has weakened significantly: while 22% expected improvement last year, this figure drops to just 12% in 2025, and the share of CMOs anticipating a downturn has doubled from 18% to 36%. Budget expectations also reflect greater caution, with more marketers forecasting decreases(from 32% to 38%) and fewer expecting any significant growth.
Despite this, Belgian CMOs continue to prioritise technology-driven progress: belief in the importance of AI in marketing processes rises from 76% to 81%, confirming that digital acceleration remains non-negotiable. While emotional brand building and customer experience lose some momentum, data-based marketing and marketing analytics continue to be seen as key pillars for 2026.
When it comes to expectations from agency partners, Belgium follows the global trend: creativity, innovation, and proactivity remain the top demands — yet all three decline year-over-year, signalling a growing expectation for agencies to balance inspiration with tangible support in transformation, a needthat appears for the first time in Belgium’s results.
“Today’s CMOs can no longer simply run marketing departments,” says Nancy Delhalle, COO Serviceplan Group Belux. “ — they must serve as transformation architects, uniting purpose, data, technology and people to reshape how organisations grow and connect. “
About the CMO Barometer 2026
The CMO Barometer is an annual study surveying top marketers from 15 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, Solvay Brussels School (in Belgium) 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 (Nasdaq: HSII) 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 Solvay Brussels School of Economics & Management
A leading European institution renowned for its excellence in economics, management education, and its strong connection to the business world.
*incl. Austria, Belgium & Luxembourg, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Middle East, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom (UK).
