Dear CMOs: It’s time to reclaim your craft

Chief marketing officers, we see you. We understand the challenges you face and the impossible balance you're trying to strike daily: more responsibility, tighter budgets, ROI on everything. We are here to help. Our latest CMO Playbook, developed with the Capgemini Research Institute, surveyed 1,500 marketing executives globally across 15 countries and confirmed that you are not alone.

We’ll be discussing our findings at an exclusive evening event on Wednesday, 26 November. Join the guestlist - spaces are filling quickly.

This in-depth research has told us loud and clear that now is the time to reclaim what marketing should be: strategic, creative and personal. And as such, we’ve drafted a letter of support to all CMOs who recognise these daily challenges.

Reclaiming marketing: A letter of support to the CMO

Ten years ago, marketers were being pushed hard into digital transformation. The focus shifted from creativity to data, from brand to dashboards. Technical projects dominated the agenda.

Then came COVID. Digitisation accelerated. Remote everything. More platforms, more tools, more metrics. Marketing became a machine – but the soul started slipping away.

Now, data is everywhere. AI is here. LLMs are changing the game. But instead of clarity, we've found chaos. The intersection of creativity, process, and technology is messy. Structures aren't in place. Teams are distracted. The storytelling – the heart of marketing – is getting lost.

We're being told to chase growth. To bring more people in. To market to customers, to agents, to algorithms, to machines. But how do you do that when the foundations are shaky?

The truth: It's been chaos

Marketers are overwhelmed. The tools are powerful, but the vision is fractured. We're not realising AI's potential. We're not structured to succeed. And we're not telling the stories that matter.

The call: Reclaim your marketing

This is your moment. To step back from the noise. To reconnect with the craft. To build marketing that's human, structured and future-ready.

We're here to help. To hold your hand through the chaos. To bring clarity, creativity and confidence back to your team.

The pitch: From chaos to clarity

You've been through the storm. Now it's time to lead the movement. Reclaim your marketing. Reclaim your story. And let us help you do it.

This is the third year we've run our CMO Playbook research, and this year the insights span 12 industries, from global marketing leaders at The LEGO Group, Adobe, IKEA and Standard Chartered Bank, among many other household names.

Four key themes have emerged:

• AI is not delivering its potential - with only 7 per cent of marketers strongly agreeing it has improved performance.

• Martech ownership and influence is blurring - 55 per cent of marketing leaders cited that CIOs are claiming back Martech with AI.

• CMOs are constrained by ineffectiveness - only 15 per cent of marketing leaders completely agree their current set up enables them to do high value work.

• The key to growth is engagement that converts - only 18 per cent of organisations believe they successfully personalise customer interactions to boost outcomes.

None of this is news to you. You've been living it. But having hundreds of your peers confirm the same experience matters. You're not imagining these challenges, and you are not alone. We want to help.

So, join us at frog HQ near St Paul’s, London on Wednesday 26 November, for an in-person panel discussion that will explore these themes in depth. It’s neither a sales pitch nor a product demo. It’s an honest conversation with people who understand what you're dealing with.

I’m delighted to be joined by Tammy Hourigan (VP marketing services at Unilever), Aaron Mitchell (VP membership and personalisation at The LEGO Group) and Nick Mills (managing director, marketing transformation at Barclays), with Sonoo Singh (founder of Creative Salon) on moderation duties to keep us all on topic.

We’ll walk through the CMO Playbook findings, discuss what's working and open it up for your questions. There'll be networking drinks and canapés afterwards – often where the most meaningful conversations happen.

Register your interest today.  
Spaces are limited, but we can’t wait to see you.

You've navigated years of chaos and it’s time to make your mark. Now is the time to reclaim what marketing should be: creative, strategic and genuinely compelling.

Gagandeep Gadri is managing director of frog, part of Capgemini Invent