In today’s saturated and ever-changing business environment, creativity emerges as an essential pillar for driving growth. According to the CMO Report 2024 by Dentsu Creative, 89% of Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) consider creativity an absolutely crucial factor in advancing their companies. This consensus highlights the importance of innovative ideas in an increasingly competitive market.
Creativity as a Driver of Transformation
Creativity not only fuels impactful campaigns but also serves as a catalyst for business transformation. A total of 71% of CMOs identify marketing as a key tool for leading significant organisational changes. Furthermore, 83% believe that creativity and marketing have a greater potential for impact now than ever before.
Sectors such as food, personal care, and pharmaceuticals appear particularly convinced of these benefits. In these industries, the percentage of CMOs who view creativity as an essential growth factor reaches 88%, 97%, and 85%, respectively. Additionally, those executives planning to increase their marketing budgets by 2025 are the most likely to prioritise creativity, compared to those who expect to maintain or reduce their investments.
Overcoming Challenges in a Fragmented Environment
Despite its importance, marketing executives face significant challenges when implementing effective creative strategies. One of the greatest difficulties is the decreasing relevance of traditional media. A total of 72% of CMOs acknowledge that building a brand in this context is especially complex. At the same time, 60% criticise the lack of adequate support from agencies in developing innovative solutions.
To connect with their audience in an increasingly fragmented media landscape, 88% of CMOs deem it essential for brands to integrate themselves into their consumers’ culture. However, achieving this often requires exploring new formats such as entertainment and experiences, something 73% of executives admit finding challenging.
New Marketing Trends to Explore
In their pursuit of differentiation, brands are adopting innovative strategies like branded content (41%), influencer marketing (37%), and user-generated content (33%). However, it is surprising that influencer marketing adoption remains limited, given its growing prominence in modern marketing strategies.
Additionally, media fragmentation is prompting CMOs to rethink brand building. A total of 77% predict that the future of brands will be shaped by collaborations with platforms and content creators. However, this strategy is not without its tensions, as 60% of marketing executives feel uneasy about relinquishing control of their brands to third parties.
Technology Innovation as an Ally
Technology is also playing a crucial role in marketing strategies. While in 2023 only 48% of CMOs considered technology relevant for strengthening brand awareness (a metric that measures how well and how widely a brand is recognised by consumers), by 2024 this figure has risen to 66%. Emerging technologies such as social commerce (67%), chatbots (61%), and artificial intelligence (60%) are being widely used.
In the coming years, marketing executives expect to incorporate even more advanced tools, such as Web 3.0, virtual and augmented reality, blockchain, and video games. These technologies not only promise to enrich the consumer experience but also offer new ways to connect with fragmented audiences.
Would you like to place creativity at the heart of your business growth strategies? At PGR Marketing & Technology, we can support you in achieving this, helping you reach your company’s customers more effectively.
