The role of the marketing director has undergone a profound transformation over the past decade, evolving into a hybrid function that sits between technology leadership and brand stewardship. Today’s CMOs are expected to navigate data, AI, and digital systems while still owning storytelling, reputation, and long-term brand value.
This shift is accelerating alongside changes in agencies and internal marketing teams, but with added complexity: many CMOs must now report to boardrooms that are not always fully aligned with the pace of modern advertising technology.
Ed Freed, global chief transformation officer at agency RAPP, describes the traditional chief marketing role as having “reached a structural breaking point.” He explains that the modern function now spans two distinct domains: “operating complex AI-driven revenue systems and stewarding the long-term cultural and reputational value of a brand.”
Elav Horwitz, chief innovation officer at WPP, notes that the CMO’s role has evolved in line with tech-driven marketing. “We used to keep the creatives and the engineers in separate rooms. Today, if your brand’s magic isn’t machine-readable, it becomes invisible,” she says.
George Manas, chief growth and solutions officer at Omnicom, adds that “at a moment of increasing complexity in the marketing ecosystem, the role of the CMO is being fundamentally redefined.”
This evolution is evident at Cannes Lions, where marketing leaders gather annually and technologies like agentic AI have quickly shifted from concept to execution. The event, once dominated by agency creatives debating awards, is now increasingly shaped by tech giants such as Amazon, Google and Meta, alongside digital platforms like Reddit, Spotify and Netflix — where influence and power now reside.
Michael Frohlich, chief marketing officer at WPP, says the “evolved CMO doesn’t choose between the precision of data and the power of storytelling,” but instead acts as a “strategic architect” who integrates both seamlessly.
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Today’s CMO must also understand a wide spectrum of disciplines, from sports marketing and influencer dynamics to retail media and programmatic advertising.
Chris Freeland, chief executive of Merkle UK&I, describes the modern CMO as a “growth architect,” connecting brand, data, customer experience and technology, and often overseeing customer experience, commerce and loyalty.
Freed notes that many global organisations are now splitting the role in two: a chief growth officer handling the “maths” revenue performance, data infrastructure, AI systems and commercial accountability and a chief brand officer responsible for “storytelling, brand equity, trust, and cultural relevance.”
However, Alex Hesz, global president, strategy and solutions for WPP, argues that “not only do I believe a single point of focus can deliver both the tech stack and the emotional magic, I believe a single point of focus has to do so.”
While the role demands a hybrid skillset, he emphasizes that both sides ultimately serve one metric: growth. “This requires a deep, mechanical understanding of the underlying dynamics of LLMs, in perpetual contact with an intuitive, empathetic understanding of the underlying dynamics of human beings.”
Jessica Tamsedge, CEO of Dentsu Creative UK&I, highlights the importance of boardroom alignment, saying the CMO must be “bringing the voice of the customer to the leadership table.”
Michael D’Esopo, chief executive of consultancy Lippincott, adds that advances in data science and technology have significantly improved CMOs’ ability to make informed decisions and demonstrate ROI, while also expanding their responsibility for driving top-line growth.
Despite the debate around transformation, Simon Michaelides, director-general of the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers, argues that marketing has always balanced art and science. For him, the tension between “maths” and “magic” is not a weakness of the CMO role but its greatest strength.
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