Media powers CMO growth in 2026, Dentsu report

Dentsu has released its CMO Navigator – Media Edition 2026, part of its global research series examining how marketing leaders are reshaping their organisations in response to changes in technology, consumer behaviour and media.

The study highlights growing confidence among CMOs, alongside a shift in how media, artificial intelligence and entertainment partnerships are being used to drive business performance at scale.

Rise of the perceptive CMO

The research identifies a group described as Perceptive CMOs, whose perspectives most closely align with consumer expectations. Accounting for seventeen percent of CMOs globally, this group outperforms peers on revenue growth, innovation and readiness for transformation. They are more likely to adopt artificial intelligence earlier, invest in emerging media ecosystems and work within organisations delivering double-digit growth.

Alongside this, the report points to a wave of optimism among marketing leaders. Despite broader consumer pessimism, ninety percent of CMOs report revenue growth over the past twelve months, a trend that is supporting increased marketing investment, particularly across North America and Latin America.

AI becomes central to the CMO role

Artificial intelligence has moved into the core of the CMO mandate. Marketing leaders now rank redesigning marketing for the age of AI alongside customer satisfaction and customer-base growth as a primary responsibility. Nine in ten CMOs say emerging AI capabilities are already influencing their strategies, from operational efficiency to the development of entirely new products and services.

The findings suggest that AI is no longer viewed as an experimental tool, but as a foundation for long-term competitiveness and innovation within marketing organisations.

Media as a growth driver

With global advertising spend forecast to exceed one trillion dollars in 2026, CMOs increasingly see media as critical to business performance. The research shows strong agreement that media has evolved into a primary growth engine, particularly as it becomes more algorithmic and directly linked to commerce.

In response, CMOs are adopting attention-based planning, AI-enhanced search and creator-led ecosystems to better connect with audiences. However, concerns remain around transparency and visibility within closed technology platforms, which leaders cite as a key challenge.

Entertainment and culture-led investment

The report also highlights rising investment in sports, gaming and entertainment intellectual property. Ninety-one percent of CMOs say they are increasing spend in these areas to engage audiences through culture-led environments. Mexico, the United Kingdom and India lead in significantly increasing investment.

More than eighty five percent of CMOs report growing investment in anime-related intellectual property, while gaming partnerships have become mainstream across regions, with fewer than one in ten CMOs not pursuing any gaming-related strategies.

Will Swayne, Global Practice President, Media, dentsu: “CMOs are operating in the most dynamic marketing environment we’ve ever seen, and this year’s Navigator shows a profession leaning into change rather than resisting it. Whether it’s AI, new forms of entertainment, or emerging media behaviors, the most successful CMOs are those who translate complexity into meaningful, culturally connected brand experiences. Media has officially moved from being a channel to being a true engine of growth.”

Dentsu’s Media++ approach

The findings sit alongside dentsu’s Media++ framework, which positions media as a catalyst for integrated growth across creative, customer experience management, data and technology. The approach is designed to address an increasingly connected and automated media environment by embedding transparency, agility and intelligence into planning and activation.

According to dentsu, Media++ aims to ensure that media investment delivers measurable outcomes, positioning media not simply as a channel, but as a driver of transformation in an attention-led, algorithm-driven economy.

The navigator can be accessed here

www.dentsu.com

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