Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the role of chief marketing officers (CMOs), with nine in 10 marketing leaders saying AI is already changing how consumers discover and evaluate brands, according to a new survey by Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
The findings, highlighted during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, suggest that marketing is evolving from a primarily creative function into a business discipline that combines technology, data and operations.
The survey found that about 80% of CMOs are investing heavily in AI training for their teams as generative AI reshapes customer discovery, content creation, media planning and performance measurement.
BCG Global CMO Jessica Apotheker said modern marketing now rests on three pillars: creativity, data and analytics, and cross-functional coordination. She argued that companies leading in AI adoption are those with strong data capabilities and close alignment between marketing and the rest of the business.
The changing role is also influencing corporate leadership. According to executive search firm Spencer Stuart, around 37% of Fortune 500 CEOs have marketing experience, reflecting the growing importance of skills such as AI strategy, analytics and revenue management.
Industry leaders also stressed the need for closer collaboration between marketing and product teams. Reddit CMO Jim Squires said businesses miss growth opportunities when the two functions operate in silos, arguing that deeper integration is essential as AI increasingly shapes both product development and customer discovery.
The report concludes that organisations should prioritise AI capabilities within marketing, strengthen collaboration between product and marketing teams, and update performance metrics to measure brand visibility across AI-powered discovery platforms rather than relying solely on traditional search and paid media.
