CMO Barometer

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IN 2026, AI WILL TRIGGER A SYSTEMATIC SHIFT IN MARKETING – redefining roles, tasks and realities for good

There are several topics that are causing marketing decision-makers to lose sleep. After all, we currently find ourselves at a tipping point for change, which will determine how the future plays out. This is why the CMO Barometer is so important for us and makes such a significant contribution to the fact that the study has established itself as a key trend indicator in the industry – not only in Germany, but also in other countries. The University of St.Gallen supports us as a strong academic partner to ensure the quality and relevance of the study. And, for the first time, we are also welcoming one of the world’s biggest HR consultancies Heidrick & Struggles as a partner and really look forward to working with them.

The results 2026

The results of the CMO Barometer 2026 provide important insights into the marketing trends of the following financial year.

CMOs have never been so united around a top priority: AI is – and remains – the dominant focus for 2026. This is their response to the challenging economic conditions: Despite the tech optimism, economic confidence is in shorter supply - with some very different results in the individual countries. This is shown by the Serviceplan Group's “CMO Barometer”, which was conducted together with the University of St. Gallen (HSG). More than 800 marketing decision-makers took part in the extensive international study and shared exclusive quotes and assessments.

Further evaluations and the most important learnings from the survey have been summarized for you and are now available.

Further results

CMO Voices 2026

Chief Marketing Officer, TPConnect Technologies

Namrata Balwani

REAL-TIME EMPATHY AT SCALE - the ability to instantly understand the emotional and psychological state of every customer across all touchpoints and respond with perfect timing and relevance. THIS GOES WAY BEYOND PERSONALIZATION. It's about reading the room with millions of customers simultaneously. When someone's browsing your site at 2am, is it because they're excited about a project or anxious about a problem? The response should be completely different. The reason I'd choose this over something like "perfect attribution" or "flawless targeting" is that EMOTION DRIVES EVERY PURCHASE DECISION, but we're still mostly guessing at it. We optimize for clicks and conversions, but miss the human experience.

Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer, spabreaks.com

Marc-Andre Hade

The make-or-break factor is embedding AI into everyday workflows, inside the tools marketers already use (CRM, analytics, campaign ops). ADOPTION IS A LEADERSHIP JOB: pick 2–3 concrete use cases, train to competence, and track hard metrics (e.g. tests per week). When AI is ‘in the flow,’ it increases speed and decision quality, faster customer learning, sharper targeting/creative, smarter budget allocation. Teams that normalise daily use and hold leaders accountable for usage and outcomes will see durable gains; everyone else will dabble.

Program Chair Forbes CMO FORBES España

Gonzalo Saiz

In 2026, the most important aspect of social media will be verifiable authenticity. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WINNING AND LOSING BRANDS WILL BE whether they manage to build real, human and trustworthy conversations and communities amid a sea of artificial content.

eCommerce and Omnichannel Director, Arcaplanet

Sara Terraneo

My ‘superpower’ is connecting vision and reality: seeing clearly where the organisation needs to go and building the human, cultural and operational conditions to actually get there I BELIEVE THAT TODAY‘S CMO CAN NO LONGER LIMIT THEMSELVES TO LEADING MARKETING: they must
be an architect of transformation, capable of bringing together purpose,

data and people.

Chairwoman „CMO of the Year“ Council, Serviceplan Group

Yvonne Wicht

When the playing field of the global economy is realigned, HUMAN NETWORKS WILL BECOME A SAFE SPACE FOR CMOS amid the transformation.

CMO, Serviceplan Group

Felix Bartels

THE NEW CMO IS A ‘NEXT HUMAN’ WHO EMBODIES AI AND AUTHENTICITY. They need to understand tech and have strong people skills to lead their teams successfully through this transformation.

Interim Manager & Fractional CMO, brandinterim

Domique Weiss

MY SUPERSKILL? BEING A CHANGE AGENT!

Marketing processes, teams and skills will have to change massively and we need the vision to see what will be possible, implement early, learn, and upskill our teams.

SVP-Marketing & Corporate Communications, Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG

Jacqueline Casini

THE HOT TOPIC IN MARKETING IN 2026 is the company's AI footprint. It‘s about how organisations will be using generative AI models, how they are using Predictive analytics and WILL BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT DATA-DRIVEN DECISION-MAKING.

Regional Managing Partner, Consumer Markets Practice, Europe & Africa

Richard Sumner

What stands out for me in this year’s CMO Barometer is that marketing leaders are being pulled in two directions at once: managing economic uncertainty while redesigning how their organisations operate. AI may dominate the headlines, but the real story is how deeply it is reshaping capabilities, team structures, and decision-making models.

CMOs increasingly recognise that technical literacy is no longer optional. The most effective leaders will be those who pair strategic discipline with a practical understanding of how AI reshapes both their work and their workforce. This is less about chasing the newest tool and more about building teams that are resilient and future-ready.

At the same time, the expectations placed on marketing have expanded. CMOs are being asked to drive transformation at an enterprise level, aligning purpose, brand, data, and customer experience while developing talent that can operate fluidly across these areas.

The findings reveal a profession in transition, but one with enormous potential. Organisations that invest in skills, experimentation, and cross-functional collaboration won’t just keep pace with change; they will also drive it

Our participating countries

The top marketers from the most important companies in the DACH region and another eight countries take part in this study. In addition to Germany, Austria and Switzerland, these include Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK, Spain, France, Italy, Nordics and the Middle East.

CMO Barometer 2026_Report International_final.pdf - 5