‘Agents of Reinvention’ highlights how CMOs balance algorithms, creativity, and cultural relevance
National, September 2025: Dentsu Creative has released its annual Global CMO Report 2025, titled “Agents of Reinvention: Marketing at the Intersection of AI and Human Ingenuity”. Drawing on insights from over 1,950 senior marketing leaders across 14 markets, the study underscores a defining paradox of modern marketing: as artificial intelligence becomes embedded in everyday practice, human creativity, empathy, and cultural intelligence matter more than ever.
The report identifies 10 themes shaping marketing in 2025, including anticipating the algorithm, investing in intimacy, building trust, and navigating the rise of agentic AI.
Key Global Findings
AI adoption is mainstream: Nearly every CMO surveyed uses AI in personal workflows, with over 30% using it daily.
Humanity at the core: 87% of CMOs believe modern strategy requires more creativity, empathy, and humanity.
Human imagination prevails: 78% of CMOs agree generative AI will never replace human imagination — up 13 percentage points since 2024.
Content at scale vs. personalization: While 90% want to combine agile production with data for hyper-relevant messaging, 76% cite content creation speed as a barrier.
Algorithms and visibility: 71% admit, “If I don’t win with the algorithm, I will be invisible”, yet 79% worry over-optimizing risks “a sea of sameness.”
Culture as a growth lever: 84% believe brands must win share of culture — not just share of voice — but 81% acknowledge few proven models exist.
Influence of creators: 91% agree brands are now built through partnerships with creators, platforms, and cultural voices (up 14 points YoY). Still, 82% worry about losing control.
Innovation investment: Over 70% of CMOs plan to dedicate more than 20% of their budgets to innovation in 2026 and beyond.
Agentic AI: 89% believe it will profoundly affect their business, but the same number say trust and taste will be more critical than ever.
Voices from Dentsu Creative
Abbey Klaassen, Global Brand President, Dentsu Creative: “The future of marketing is about augmenting human ingenuity with AI to achieve levels of personalization and pace previously impossible. It’s not about doing more with less, but about doing what was never possible before.”
Yasu Sasaki, Global Chief Creative Officer, dentsu: “As AI adoption scales, originality and innovation become more valuable. AI excels at prediction, but true creativity is unpredictable. The most exciting possibilities emerge when AI and human creativity collide.”
Patricia McDonald, Global Chief Strategy Officer, Dentsu Creative: “Marketers today must live with paradoxes: automation is vital to keep up, humanity is vital to stand out. The more we embrace AI, the more we must double down on human truths rooted in culture.”
Amit Wadhwa, CEO, Dentsu Creative & Media Brands, South Asia, dentsu: “In India, brands must out-human the algorithm. Success will come to those who fuse AI with creativity, intimacy with data, and innovation with cultural trust.”
India Spotlight
The report revealed that 95% of Indian CMOs believe human insights fuel the best strategies, reinforcing India’s appetite for a balance of AI-driven efficiency and deeply human brand storytelling.
