Mumbai: Based on responses from 1,950 CMOs across 14 markets, the report finds that the rise of AI, fragmentation of attention, and new consumer behaviours are forcing a reimagining of how media, creativity, and data intersect to drive predictable growth — marking what dentsu calls the Algorithmic Era of Marketing.
Optimism Amid Uncertainty: Growth Still on the Table
Despite continued macroeconomic caution, the majority of CMOs revealed a strong sense of optimism:
- 90% reported revenue growth over the past year.
- More than three-quarters rated their current economy as good or excellent.
- 86% expect their marketing budgets to increase in 2026.
These figures mark a divergence from broader global economic sentiment, where consumer outlook remains muted. The gap suggests that marketing leaders — armed with better data, attribution tools, and AI capabilities — see tangible business momentum that justifies further investment, particularly in media and transformation initiatives.
AI Is No Longer Optional — It’s Strategic
One of the central themes of the report is the rapidly growing influence of artificial intelligence on strategic decision-making. Nearly 90% of CMOs said AI is reshaping their go-to-market strategy — with half describing the impact as “significant” or “complete.”
Marketers are increasingly using AI in areas such as:
- Media planning and buying
- Customer segmentation and targeting
- Creative optimisation
- Personalisation at scale
- Prioritising channels and formats based on predicted ROI
However, the report also highlights a confidence gap: while most CMOs are comfortable deploying AI for efficiency and optimisation, far fewer feel assured in using AI to create net-new value or launch new AI-native products or services.
This has accelerated brands’ reliance on external partners, including agencies, consultancies, and technology platforms to supplement gaps in internal AI capabilities.
Media: From Execution to Strategic Growth Infrastructure
The most striking reframing in the report is the elevation of media strategy from a tactical execution function to a core strategic growth lever.
Instead of viewing media as a channel for ad delivery, CMOs now see it as the system through which:
- Brand and performance objectives align
- Data assets and insights get activated
- Consumer attention is captured, measured, and monetised
- Creative and cultural relevance are amplified
In the Algorithmic Era, this means media strategies must be designed not just for efficiency but for attention capture across fragmented platforms, including:
- Fast-moving social feeds
- Streaming video
- Gaming and virtual environments
- Retail media ecosystems
- Creator-led touchpoints
Media is now “where business gets done,” the report suggests — and the CMOs who succeed will be those who think of media not as dollars spent but as growth systems engineered for measurable impact.
Culture, Entertainment, and Creators: The New Brand Currency
The report highlights a marked rise in media investments tied to cultural content, especially entertainment and creator ecosystems.
Nearly 90% of CMOs report increasing investment in entertainment IP, including partnerships with gaming platforms, anime franchises, and long-form narrative content. Sports partnerships — both traditional sponsorships and emerging esports activations — are also showing up as strategic vehicles for brand growth and audience attention.
Creators are viewed as essential distribution partners, with influencer and creator channels outperforming traditional media in terms of engagement and cultural resonance.
However, CMOs are split on a provocative future trend: whether entertainment-led media will continue to drive loyalty once AI agents begin making autonomous media and purchase decisions for consumers.
Disruption Is Immediate, Not Distant
Another seminal insight from the Navigator: disruption is no longer theoretical. Roughly 29% of CMOs believe that by 2030, at least 70% of their revenue will come from offerings that don’t yet exist.
To prepare, brands are diversifying growth pathways simultaneously — investing not just in media, but also in:
- Customer experience transformation
- Digital commerce acceleration
- Subscription and membership models
- New product and service innovation
This signals a move away from linear marketing approaches toward portfolio strategies where experimentation and optionality are built into growth plans.
A New Archetype: The Perceptive CMO
dentsu identifies a class of leaders it terms “Perceptive CMOs” — executives who combine cultural fluency with commercial discipline, and who prioritise media investments that drive both brand and business outcomes.
Perceptive CMOs are:
- More aggressive in adopting emerging media formats
- Better aligned with consumer attention patterns
- More willing to integrate AI into core workflows
- Delivering stronger performance against growth KPIs
These leaders, the report posits, are shaping the future of the CMO role — not just as marketers, but as growth architects.
Implications for Indian Brands and Agencies
Though global in scope, the report’s findings carry particular relevance for India’s rapidly evolving market:
- The explosion of connected TV, e-commerce, and retail media networks increases the complexity — and opportunity — for media strategies.
- Indian consumers’ mobile-first behaviour and dominance of vernacular content amplify the importance of AI-driven personalisation and attribution models.
- Creator ecosystems and short-form video continue to shape cultural conversation — making investment in cultural media essential rather than discretionary.
Indian CMOs who accelerate AI adoption, redefine media as a growth system, and invest in cultural relevance are likely to outperform peers — reinforcing media’s strategic importance in competitive differentiation.
Conclusion: Media Strategy Is the New Competitive Frontier
In the Algorithmic Era, dentsu’s CMO Navigator suggests that media is no longer a “back-end” function; it is now the **central operating system for how brands grow.
AI is reshaping every aspect of marketing, but the leaders who succeed will be those who integrate AI with strategic judgement, cultural insight, and a systems-level view of media as growth infrastructure.
For CMOs and business leaders alike, the message is clear: Invest in media with purpose, plan with data, and design for cultural relevance — or risk being drowned out in an era where attention is the scarcest currency.
