NIQ’s 2024 CMO Outlook survey revealed both consistency and change in what CMOs are prioritizing in their marketing strategies.
Established practices continue to remain relevant, but the fast-evolving Artificial Intelligence (AI) landscape is driving the need for tighter collaboration across marketing, IT, and data science teams.
This report not only highlights the findings of the survey; it also explores AI’s potential in the years to come, offering senior marketing leaders in retail and manufacturing critical analysis to guide their 2025 planning.
Survey findings of note
78%
of marketers remain confident that they will be in a stronger position three years from now (no change since 2023 survey)
31%
of senior marketers say connecting data from different sources remains a key challenge (a slight improvement from 33% in 2023)
21%
of marketing leaders say they receive actionable insights in real time (down from 26% in 2023)
AI in marketing: What’s next?
Senior marketers are increasingly deploying AI tools across a range of areas. Beyond content creation, Generative AI (GenAI) is playing an expanding role in enhancing customer experience and service, indicating that its impact will continue to grow across various marketing functions.
T
Senior marketers
“The attention of brand marketers to AI and generative AI has skyrocketed. They’re eager to harness its potential to accelerate digital transformation, improve productivity, and scale automation efforts.
GenAI has fairly dynamic capabilities, but its precision still has to evolve. In today’s fast-paced world, where consumers always look for more relevant, faster, easier, and more convenient solutions, AI—done responsibly—can help lift the game. Gen AI will continue to disrupt and evolve, and brands will leverage the capabilities to meet the ever-changing expectations of always-online consumers. The key is to stay agile and responsive to consumer trends and technological advancements.”
—Chandan Mukherji, Director & Executive Vice President, Strategy, Marketing & Communication, Nestlé India Ltd.
As AI becomes increasingly integral to marketing strategies, it will be essential to invest in sophisticated tools that can deliver high-quality data—an investment that will ultimately inform and yield better long-term decision-making.
Data-driven insights will be a key differentiator for businesses seeking a competitive edge in 2025 and beyond. Getting a clear, Full View™ of what’s happening, where it’s happening—in-store, online, and worldwide—makes this possible.
The bottom line: AI is far more than a tool for efficiency. It offers the potential to enhance data maturity and measurement standards, but AI’s full impact will only be realized when it’s fully integrated into a company’s overall marketing strategy.
Download our full report to discover how senior marketing leaders are approaching strategic planning in 2025—and where AI fits in.
What’s inside:
- New year, new opportunities for marketers
- Market overview
- Data utilization trends: Moving toward prescriptive outcomes
- AI’s marketing impact: On the verge of transformation
- AI-driven marketing accountability
- AI-driven collaboration
- The importance of long-term strategic investments
- Making intelligent use of data-powered AI
Will AI-generated advertising disrupt the creative industry?
Text-to-video generative AI models that can create realistic and imaginative scenes from text instructions have spurred a tectonic shift in the advertising industry. Some even believe that AI-generated content will be able to eliminate the need to produce a finished copy and will become the standard in the ad creation process. But are we there yet?
NIQ will be speaking about AI-generated advertising at CES 2025! Come see Marta Cyhan-Bowles, NIQ’s Chief Communications Officer and Head of Global Marketing COE, in the Adapting to Change: Demographic Shifts in Advertising Strategy panel session on Thursday, January 9 at 10:00 a.m. PST.
