The digital acceleration, catalyzed by the rapid changes observed during the COVID-19 period, has consistently shifted the CMO's core agenda from a focus on general digital adoption to a necessary systemic integration of advanced technology, specifically culminating in Artificial Intelligence (AI) as the paramount priority.

The reshaping of the agenda can be tracked through several phases:

1. The Foundation of Digitalization and Data (2021–2022)

Initially, the agenda focused heavily on essential digital infrastructure and data management. In 2021, the urgency of digitalization was high, pushing companies to reallocate resources and digitalize marketing tools.

• Top Priorities: "Digitalization of marketing" was identified as the top task set to gain more importance in 2021 (74%). Digital transformation was consistently ranked as a highly important topic or trend.
• Data Focus: Data-driven marketing was a top trend and a key task gaining importance in both 2021 (87% expected increase) and 2022 (88% importance).
• Emergence of AI: By 2022, AI & automation began appearing on the agenda as a defining topic for the marketing year, mentioned by 10% of CMOs.

2. AI Ascends to the Dominant Topic (2023–2024)

As digital maturity increased, AI and automation rapidly moved from an emerging topic to the central driver of the CMO agenda.

• AI in the Top 5: In 2023, AI & automation broke into the list of top five most important marketing trends, cited by 65% of CMOs. CMOs recognized the need to be "Digital and tech savvy" to future-proof their organizations.
• AI as the #1 Trend: By 2024, the use of Artificial intelligence, machine learning & marketing automation became the dominant topic among CMOs. It jumped to the number one trend, rated important or very important by 83% of respondents.
• Balancing Act: This acceleration forced CMOs to focus on creating connections between artificial intelligence and emotional intelligence, adopting the formula for success as "AI + EQ + marketing skills".

3. AI as a System Reset for Efficiency and Impact (2025–2026)

In the most recent years surveyed, AI transformed from being merely a tool or trend into the backbone of modern marketing, requiring a fundamental overhaul of processes and leadership skills.

• Focus on Efficiency and Automation: In 2025, the motivation behind AI integration was largely efficiency-driven, aiming to make marketing as efficient as possible and prioritizing marketing automation with specific use cases due to tight budgets.
• New AI Tasks: The "Use of artificial intelligence (AI) in marketing processes" remained the top trend in both 2025 (81%) and 2026 (87%). New topics, such as AI agents, appeared on the agenda immediately with high relevance (63% in 2025).
• Process and Personalization: The goal shifted to prioritizing efficiency in every aspect of the marketing mission. CMOs increasingly focused on Customer journey management & personalization (80% in 2025), driven by the potential for mass personalization via AI.
• CMO Role Transformation: The consistent digital pressure and rise of AI led to the conclusion that AI is now a leadership task, requiring a systematic shift. CMOs must master Digital & Tech Literacy (45% in 2026) and act as Chief Transformation Officers, integrating often paradoxical skills like balancing "Deliver Efficiency × Push Innovation". The agenda is no longer just about adopting technology, but about driving business impact through effective and efficient implementation of AI.

This journey shows that the core agenda has been consistently reshaped from prioritizing foundational data and digital transformation to mandating the strategic, integrated, and efficient application of AI to drive customer experience and measurable results.

( Material sourced from the CRM Barometer)

By gianfranco cuzziol

Keywords: AI, CRM, Digital Transformation

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