We’ll start with a confession. We’re just an agency. We don’t sit in your board meetings or argue with your CFO about next quarter’s numbers. But we do work with a lot of CMOs, particularly in financial services, and we see what you’re up against.
You’re trying to steer growth, brand, use of AI, data insight, creative, and culture – all on a tightening budget. You’re not just running campaigns anymore, you’re leading transformation across your entire organisation.
So, this is our view, from the outside looking in, on how the most effective CMOs are thriving in 2026.
1. Redefining what growth means
Growth used to mean one thing: more leads and conversions. Now it’s more complex; budgets are tighter, expectations are higher, and everyone wants faster proof of impact. B2B ROI Impact found that 51% have to justify their marketing spend to the C-suite monthly, which has led some marketers to prioritise short-term performance metrics over long-term brand building.
But the most effective CMOs are moving away from just chasing quick wins to building brands that last. They focus on fewer, more meaningful priorities. (Reinforced by Binet and Field’s study which found that campaigns focused on long-term brand building deliver three times more profit growth than short-term activity).
Short term thinking also leaves a lot of opportunities on the table. The reality is that only about 5% of your target market is actively looking for your product at any given time. What about the other 95% who aren’t ready to convert? They need to be familiar with your brand for when they are. The best positioned CMO’s recognise that the two work best together and include more long-term brand health metrics like “a brand I trust” and “a brand I would choose again” in their objectives.
2. Mastering AI
AI has become part of marketing’s daily rhythm – from generative content creation to predictive analytics. But if 2024 was the year of hype and 2025 was about trial and error, 2026 is about using it wisely, (and much more strategically).
According to RedHat, UK organisations plan to increase AI investment by an average of 32% by 2026, yet 89% say they’re still not turning that investment into customer value.
The CMOs best placed for AI success in 2026 are using it as a strategic partner, sharpening insight and helping teams focus on what matters. Asking it to uncover market dynamics, mine audience segments, critique strategies and provoke ideas will better serve CMOs. (Have a look at our AI quiz to see if you’re using it to its strategic potential).
And that matters because generative AI is about to create a tidal wave of sameness as up take grows. Automated creatives, templated video, identical product images. Brands that rely too heavily on automation will blend into one grey mass. It’s the ones using it more strategically – with credibility and real insights – that will thrive.
3. Creativity: The Comeback Story
After years of budget cuts, data obsession and AI ‘sameness’, real creativity is having a quiet resurgence and is becoming a competitive advantage once more. The IPA Bellwether Report 2025 found that UK marketers are finally funnelling more budget back into brand and creative development after two years of decline.
Financial services proves the point better than most categories. The products are complicated, the regulation is relentless and the consumer is often overwhelmed. Creativity is what turns a dense proposition into a story someone wants to hear. It is what transforms a compliance requirement into something clear, reassuring and human. It is the difference between a message being ignored and a message being understood.
The CMOs leading the way are protecting creative thinking time and encouraging curiosity (And for a take on why the industry feels so samey, check out our Ban the Bland article here).
4. Making marketing everyone’s business
The modern CMO doesn’t just run marketing; they knit it into everything else. To create a consistent customer experience, you need finance, tech and people pulling in the same direction. That makes today’s CMO what McKinsey calls “the connective tissue” between customer value and company value (McKinsey, 2024). The best ones know how to tell a business story through the language of brand. They link creativity to growth, and customer loyalty to resilience.
The old model of tightly siloed departments is fading fast. One study found that 83% of companies already use cross-functional teams, and those organisations using them see around 45% better project completion rates. Successful CMOs will need to cultivate cross-functional collaboration by strengthening partnerships with sales, finance, and customer success to create a unified customer journey and share ownership of revenue impact.
CMOs driving this change are creating shared ownership of revenue targets. Sales gets stronger content. Finance gains clearer brand metrics. Customer success becomes a growth engine. And marketing becomes the strategic partner it was always meant to be.
The result? Teams that can respond faster, test ideas sooner and stay connected to what customers actually care about.
5. Having a clear CSR stance
Corporate social responsibility has moved from a brand flourish to an expectation. Almost all CMOs surveyed (in the Voice of a CMO, 2025 report) say sustainability and DEI are core to their brand identity – but nearly a quarter worry constantly about backlash.
This tension is real. Younger audiences expect brands to take a stand. B2B buyers consider values in their decisions. Yet one misjudged message can quickly backfire and the fear is dampening creative bravery.
The way forward is honesty. Not perfection. Brands that act with integrity build trust. And trust builds resilience.
CMOs who handle this well embed CSR into the whole strategy, not just the campaign calendar. The trick is to stay brave without drifting into bravado. Start by choosing a small handful of commitments you can actually deliver, and be upfront about what’s in and out of scope. Share the highs and the hiccups – audiences spot over-polish instantly, and they warm to brands that speak like real people doing their best. And keep your purpose tied tightly to your product. When your CSR naturally connects to what you offer or the way you operate, it’s far harder for anyone to accuse you of virtue-signalling.
The final word on the CMO’s next chapter
Being a CMO in 2026 is demanding, no question. The remit is wider, the scrutiny is sharper and the pressure to prove impact never really lets up. But this moment also offers something rare: the chance to reshape what marketing stands for inside a business.
The CMOs who will define this next chapter aren’t the ones chasing every new tool or trend. They’re the ones who stay anchored to long-term brand building, to smart use of AI, to genuine creativity, to cross-functional momentum, and to values that actually guide decisions.
So yes, the job is tougher. But it’s also more influential than it’s ever been. You’re in a role that can make companies braver, clearer and more human.
And if you ever want a sounding board that gets it – you know where to find us.
Talk to Moreish Marketing about brand strategy, creative and growth built for modern financial services marketing leadership.