CMOs face a ‘reputation and results’ reckoning, according to NIQ’s 2026 Outlook

“Every marketing dollar is now under the microscope,” said Marta Cyhan-Bowles, chief communications officer and head of global marketing COE, NIQ. “With organisations prioritising cost reductions, CMOs are being challenged not just to spend wisely, but to prove how marketing directly drives awareness, growth, and loyalty. It’s no longer just about efficiency; it’s about proving impact – all with largely flat budgets.”

Key findings from NIQ’s 2026 CMO Outlook

CMOs remain confident in brand equity but are shifting focus under pressure.

• 83% of CMOs still view their brand as a key commercial asset, yet only 55% allocate 60% or more of their budgets to long-term brand building, down from 59% of CMO respondents last year.
  
• Confidence in brand purpose has fallen from 83% to 71%.
  
• Despite strong belief in brand equity, 84% of CMOs now prioritise ROI as their primary metric for budget allocation, signaling pressure to drive short term conversion over long-term brand growth.
  
• Only 69% of CMOs say their CEO and chief financial officer (CFO) support long-term brand investment, a sharp decline from 80% last year. These shifts underscore a growing tension between brand stewardship and financial scrutiny.

Data fragmentation threatens ROI clarity.

• 54% of CMOs say connecting data from different sources is a major barrier to insight generation.
  
• One-third rely on 5 to 15 tools to measure ROI; in some cases, more than 15.
  
• Only 37% report having a centralised data repository accessible to all stakeholders.

AI integration accelerates, but CMOs are now measured by impact, not access.

• Generative AI tools are widely used for content generation (69%), personalisation (64%), and media planning and optimisation (55%).
  
• The focus has shifted from experimentation to proving measurable business outcomes, with CMOs expected to quantify AI’s ROI at the executive level.

Retail media networks (RMNs) surge as the next frontier of marketing ROI.

• 69% of CMOs recognise RMNs as increasingly critical, and 67% plan to increase investment in the next year.
  
• While RMNs offer conversion-rich environments and unprecedented targeting precision, they also increase media fragmentation, intensifying pressure on
• CMOs to integrate cross-channel data through AI-driven advanced modeling and analytics.
  
• Ongoing integration of off-platform campaigns with on-platform RMN ads remains essential for a cohesive full funnel strategy and stronger conversion.
  
• Many CMOs now view digital partnerships with retailers as long-term investments that accelerate SKU growth and strengthen distribution.

“Marketers are redefining what performance means,” Cyhan-Bowles said. “Data, AI, and retail media networks are reshaping the marketing playbook, and the most successful CMOs will be those who connect these forces to demonstrate measurable value for the organisation.”

Strategic focus areas/next steps

As CMOs look ahead to 2026, NIQ’s findings point to four priorities that will define high-performing marketing organisations.

• Data integration and connectivity: Building unified, centralised data systems to create a single source of truth for marketing performance and enable faster, insight-driven decisions.

• AI implementation and ROI measurement: Maximising existing AI capabilities, investing in new AI solutions that drive measurable efficiencies, and clearly articulating martech’s business impact to executive stakeholders.

• Omnichannel strategy and retail media integration: Modernising the media mix by balancing digital acceleration with traditional channels, leveraging RMN efficiencies to offset lower-converting high-value channels,while maintaining full-funnel coverage across the consumer journey.

• Talent and capability investment: Upskilling marketing teams to leverage analytics and AI tools effectively, enabling agile decision-making and sustained brand growth even amid economic pressure.

Together, these focus areas position CMOs to move beyond efficiency toward long-term resilience, driving both long-term brand equity and measurable business results.

The integration of AI and data-driven strategies is not only a response to budget constraints but also a proactive approach to sustainable growth in a challenging economic environment.

Download the report for detailed insights and guidance for CMOs.