Abstract
- The impact of AI. Generative AI enhances CMOs’ efficiency, reporting, and team empowerment.
- Focus on profits. CMOs are shifting from lead generation to accountability for revenue results.
- Emotional connection. Mastering empathy strengthens brand relationships and customer loyalty.
It’s only the middle of summer 2024, but CMOs and other Type-A people are already planning for 2025 by incorporating AI into marketing and other skills. The last 12 months have been pretty turbulent, with constant AI news and integrations in the headlines.
As we look ahead to 2025, what skills do you think CMOs should hone to stay competitive as leaders and help their companies thrive?
AI vs. Empathy: The CMO's Dilemma
Most agree that there won't be any dramatic changes. But a dichotomy seems to be emerging between artificial intelligence and emotional intelligence. Internally, CMOs are using generative AI. Externally, they're leveraging humanity and empathy with clients and customers.
Related article: Unintended consequences of relying on AI in your marketing strategy
CMOs shift focus to bottom-line outcomes
Those interviewed for this article also noted a shift, or expansion, from a focus on leads to feeling accountable for revenue outcomes. For sales teams, simply driving traffic to ecommerce platforms no longer feels like a game of Hungry Hungry Hippos, where the winner is who has the most Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) in their pipeline. CMOs are increasingly looking to add tactics that support bottom-of-funnel conversions and take responsibility for those results as well.
Related article: AI and Ethics: Breaking New Ground
CMOs Master AI for Efficiency
Christopher Willis, CMO of Axios HQ, expects the best CMOs to become masters of AI in marketing.
“There’s a lot of room for efficiency and automation in everything we do,” he says. “Finding the right solutions that add smart automation, intelligent reporting, and the best team augmentation can help CMOs continually demonstrate improvement and increased ROI.”
Related article: CMOs report 5 impacts on the role of AI
CMOs align metrics to sales goals
Willis also said the best CMOs will build dashboards that show the “health of the whole engine,” which he sees as increasing accountability and value.
“Branding and leads are not outcomes,” Willis says, “and our CEO wants to make sure we view outcomes as the goal. I think CMOs and marketing in general have spent so many years in isolation generating leads. Switching the mindset to be more like CROs and thinking more about outcomes (building pipeline) will make CMOs better, more strategic partners to the sales organization.”
Related article: Why Marketing Leaders Need to Harness the Power of AI Now
Emotional Intelligence is the Key to Brand Loyalty
At the same time, Jenni Golomb, a former CMO and now founder and CEO of GLASSBRKR, said people are craving human connection now more than ever.
“Brands can play a part in this,” she says. “Authentic, compelling stories that resonate with our audiences' values and experiences strengthen our brand relationships. When consumers connect with your brand as one they can relate to, it increases purchases and loyalty. Mastering emotional intelligence and empathy will be key in the year ahead. These skills enable us to forge authentic connections with customers and foster loyalty and trust that go beyond traditional marketing metrics.”
AI in Marketing Empowers Young Marketers
David Karel, CMO of Crunchtime, offered words of encouragement to budding CMOs.
“The rapid maturation of GenAI tools has great potential to provide a 'shortcut' for teams,” he said.
In other words, AI in marketing offers junior marketers with less experience the opportunity to perform at a higher level.
“To develop and deploy a great message and a compelling visual identity, you need to invest in hiring the right people with the right capabilities and experience,” Carell said.
He also sees a lot of untapped potential for pre-IPO companies to branch out into the areas of demand generation tools and methodologies, storytelling, messaging and branding, with a seasoned chief marketing officer at the helm of marketing and business development.
AI insights revolutionize customer behavior analytics
Jarrod Purchase, global head of marketing at Eightcap, a technology company for traders and investors, believes machine learning can provide unprecedented insight into customer behavior, enabling more personalized and effective marketing campaigns.
“AI was once a buzzword with no backing,” Purchase says. “Now we're all seeing it in our lives, from WhatsApp incorporating AI into messaging to Android phones translating phone conversations in real time. The key difference is the increased importance of technology and data. Traditional marketing skills like creativity, brand management and strategic planning still require human thinking, but leveraging AI in the process is becoming essential to commercial success. If you're not looking to AI and planning for it now, you're behind the curve.”
Related article: Machine Learning vs. Generative AI in Marketing: The Differences That Matter
The balance between AI and EQ in marketing in 2025
With expanding responsibilities and facing the most sophisticated customer base in history, it makes sense to hone your skills in generative AI while leveraging the power of emotional connection in 2025. When asked about the “why” behind their answers, these experts agreed:
AI can help…
- Scale your most effective marketing tactics, like personalization.
- Summarize large datasets.
- Automate reporting with intelligent insights.
- Customer behavior analytics on a larger scale.
EQ helps…
- It builds trust with customers who may never speak to someone within your company.
- Choose a message that will resonate with your customers.
- Give your sales team a tool that is more relevant and useful than a gift card or a hollow eBook.
- Differentiate your brand with authenticity.
What skills do CEOs want in a CMO?
While these skill sets will be important next year, business owners and leaders are looking for people who can manage and execute. In fact, leadership is the No. 1 skill CMOs need every year, according to Casey Slaughter Stanton, founder of CMOx. According to several articles and video interviews published over the past few years, including CMO Confidential, CEOs are looking for their CMOs not just to be able to leverage technology, but also to think like a general manager who is responsible for the entire profit and loss (P&L).
CMOs Drive Growth with Strategic Insights
In a Wall Street Journal feature by Deliot, Surabhi Varshney, vice president of corporate strategy at Celanese, cited the importance of the information a CMO brings to the table as why they are so important to the success of the entire organization: They can “see the whole company and develop an integrated plan that ultimately drives commercial growth.”
CMOs must balance AI and emotional intelligence to succeed
Of course, AI and EQ are tools that can help CMOs do this; remembering that these skills are a means to an end, not an end in themselves, will point their attention in the right direction. Marketers have a reputation for getting carried away with the “new thing” because technology underpins so much of their day-to-day work.
lastly
This is another great dichotomy in marketing: it can be pragmatic when it comes to using technology, but impractical when it comes to goal setting and results. Adding a sense of humor to your skills for 2025 might not be a bad idea.
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