CMOs focus on growth through revenue, expansion and ecosystem value

Revenue potential leads, with 75% of CMOs and CDOs seeing significant opportunity to grow revenue, followed by ecosystem development (63%) and geographic expansion (60%). Leaders are placing particular emphasis on ecosystem development as a way to capitalize on the efficiencies AI provides. Partnering with technology providers can help organizations unlock capabilities that accelerate innovation and growth, extend a brand's reach and speed to market, and scale more effectively.

Focus AI on measurable business value, not adoption for its own sake. CMOs and CDOs rank improving AI governance and accountability (40%) and integrating AI with existing technologies, processes and the workforce (40%) as top priorities, followed by equipping the workforce to realize AI's value (35%). The strongest use cases improve customer experience, decision-making or operating efficiency, supported by clear accountability and redesigned processes.

Business process improvements lead, with 50% of CMOs and CDOs ranking them a top investment priority, followed by cybersecurity (36%) and data privacy (33%). The mix shows leaders emphasizing the processes, security and data foundations needed to convert AI innovation into sustainable value. As economic pressure increases scrutiny of marketing and value realization, these investments help connect technology spending to measurable outcomes.

AI-enabled marketing and personalization are only as strong as the data behind them. Before scaling AI across customer experiences, marketing and digital leaders need to work across functions to improve data quality, accessibility and integration. Better alignment across data, technology and growth functions helps organizations connect data, AI, content and commerce, creating more personalized customer experiences that strengthen retention and drive growth.

Build governance in from the start rather than adding controls later. That means embedding privacy, security, responsible AI and regulatory requirements into the design of customer and AI initiatives, particularly as AI increases demands for data governance and auditability. With cybersecurity and data privacy both among CMOs' and CDOs' top investment priorities, leaders are treating customer trust as part of the infrastructure needed to sustain growth.