Almost 9 in every 10 CMOs (89%) see creativity as the ultimate driving force that drives growth, according to Dentsu’s annual survey of chief marketing officers.
In addition, some 79% agree that marketing is a key driver of business transformation, with 83% of CMOs believing that creative ideas can transform businesses.
Dentu’s report, which garnered responses from 950 CMOs, also found more than half of them (56%) are planning to invest more than 20% of their budget on innovation over the next 12 months.
A new kind of creativity
Respondents also described the need for a new kind of creativity, evolving from omnichannel to omnipresent, with 79% of CMOs feeling challenged to predict new behaviours. A similar amount – around 80% – agree that taking a creative approach to solving sustainability challenges is vital for business.
“What we’re hearing from clients, and our survey confirms, is that they need and value creativity more than ever,” said Dentsu Creative brand president Abby Klaassen.
“But it’s a new kind of creativity; creativity that is business-driven, making an impact across every aspect of their organisation from comms to commerce to sustainability,” she continued.
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As well as the positivity about creativity, CMOs were aware of the rise of artificial intelligence, with the number believing AI will never make content that moves us declining by 18 percentage points year-on-year.
Further emphasising a trend towards adopting broader thinking and skillsets, 78% told Dentsu they want their marketing activity to impact people, business and society.
The era of sudden change
Dentsu Creative global chief strategy officer Pats McDonald said: “Brands and businesses are now in the era of sudden change. Changes we’ve anticipated for years are now accelerating dramatically and reaching critical tipping points accelerated by new behaviours, new technologies and new possibilities.”
“We can’t reach new customers in old ways, or make new work with old tools. Brands today will be built at the intersection of culture, commerce and community; in a world where stories are shoppable and stores are stories.”
More than three-quarters of those surveyed (77%) agree that in the future brand marketing will be more of a partnership between brands, creators and platforms.
The creator economy is going nowhere, with 75% saying that influencer marketing is a vital part of the modern landscape, while 71% believe working with celebrities is a powerful way for brands to be more relevant in the future.
