CMSWire’s inaugural “State of the CMO” survey was based on responses from 700 marketing leaders and almost 300 “aspiring” marketing leaders. The results generally cast an upbeat vision of the contemporary CMO, suggesting that heads of marketing can rely on their adaptability and creative problem-solving—no matter what customers, the market and the economy may throw at them.

Strategic management and resilience are other top skills named by respondents, who average 15 years in marketing and nine years as marketing leaders. More than one-third indicate that over the past few years their jobs have notably changed. Among the changes cited are digital transformation, closer ties to sales and more urgency around the customer experience.

Separately from the survey, Yaniv Navot, CMO of Dynamic Yield, a ​​personalization technology provider, told MarTech that an emerging trend for younger consumers in particular is shoppable content and live commerce. “Through live commerce, more brands will ensure that when shoppers are exposed to a product or look, they can easily click through and make a purchase right within the experience,” Navot said.

An ETF Trends interview with Karrie Van Belle, CMO of AGF Investments in Toronto, highlights the significance of creative thinking. When asked for predictions about the next five years for marketing and marketers, Van Belle said, “I don’t think anyone can know what is coming next, so you just have to remember to be nimble, agile and open to the unknown.”

Marcel Marcondes, global CMO at AB InBev, has noted that the creative thinking that leads to ad industry awards for the company’s brands shines through in the bottom line. As Marketing-Interactive reports, Marcondes said, “The correlation that we have today is close to 80% between the brands that have been recognized, and the brands that are driving growth for the company.”