CMO priorities for 2026 and 2027: clarity, distinctiveness and proof

What should a CMO prioritise in 2026 and 2027?

A CMO should prioritise three things in 2026 and 2027: clarity about what the brand stands for, distinctiveness that people and AI systems recognise, and proof that makes the claim believable. AI tools, media mix and measurement all work better once those three are in place.

The pressure is familiar. Revenue growth is the top priority for CMOs in 2026, and 46 per cent want to know which initiatives are most likely to drive it (Gartner, 2025). Budgets are not growing to match. Marketing spend is 7.8 per cent of company revenue in 2026, up from 7.7 per cent in 2025 (Gartner CMO Spend Survey, 2026).

At IW Agency, we think a flat budget is a reason to invest in the brand, not to cut it. A campaign stops working when the media stops. A clear, distinctive, proven brand keeps working.

Conclusion: Clarity, distinctiveness, proof. Everything else builds on them.

Why does AI change what brand leaders should prioritise?

AI changes priorities because assistants now describe and recommend brands before a buyer reaches your website. If an assistant cannot say clearly what you are, you are left out of its answer.

CMOs already see this. Gartner reports that they are prioritising brand awareness for 2026 to strengthen their positioning "in an increasingly AI-mediated environment" (Gartner, 2025). Few can see the results yet. In Semrush's 2026 AI Visibility Index, 45 per cent of marketing leaders say they cannot accurately measure their brand's visibility in AI answers (Semrush, 2026). Semrush sells AI visibility tools, so read the figure as a vendor's own research.

We think the fix starts with the brand, not the tracking. Assistants repeat what is consistent across your site, your packaging and what others say about you. For the mechanics, see how brands show up in ChatGPT, what Google AI Mode means for discovery and how AI shopping agents choose products.

How do you make a brand clear enough for people and AI to describe?

You make a brand clear by deciding what it stands for, who it is for and how it differs, and then saying exactly that everywhere. Inside one brand, that is the job of a brand platform. Across a portfolio, it is the job of brand architecture.

We test clarity with one question: could a stranger repeat what you stand for in one sentence? An AI assistant is that stranger, every day. Since 2007, we have worked with Arla to evolve its product portfolio and shape a clear ambition. That kind of long-term clarity is what lets a large brand be described consistently.

Why does distinctiveness matter more when AI produces so much content?

Distinctiveness matters more because AI makes competent content cheap, and competent content no longer stands out. The share of marketers using AI for content production rose from 49.2 per cent in autumn 2023 to 73.9 per cent in 2026 (The CMO Survey, 2026).

When everyone produces more, recognition does the selling. Distinctive brand assets such as colours, shapes, characters and sounds are what people remember. We also think feeling is the edge: emotional brands are the ones that get chosen again. Private labels sharpen the point. Göteborgskex faced a category where private labels grew by imitating Swedish cookie classics, the situation our guide to competing with private labels covers.

Conclusion: When everything looks competent, only the recognisable gets remembered.

What counts as proof for a brand right now?

Proof is evidence a buyer or an assistant can check: what you make, how you make it, what you have done and for whom. Without proof, clarity is just a claim.

We think proof belongs in the product and the work, not in adjectives. Morakniv stands for something different in a world increasingly willing to compromise on quality, and that stance rests on craft rooted in a Swedish crafting village. A brand that also stands for a belief needs the same discipline, as we argue in belief is the new benefit.

Should the budget go to awareness, loyalty or AI?

Spend on awareness to get chosen and on loyalty to get chosen again, and put AI money into systems rather than tools. The surveys show CMOs pulling in different directions.

Awareness and conversion now take 62.6 per cent of media spend, while loyalty and retention spend has fallen 29 per cent since 2024 (Gartner, 2026). Yet strengthening loyalty among existing customers is the most common strategic response to economic pessimism, at 43.7 per cent (The CMO Survey, 2026). We read the gap as a warning. A loved brand does retention work that media cannot buy. Our guide to splitting brand and performance budgets gives starting ratios.

On AI, CMOs spend 15.3 per cent of their budget, and 70 per cent say their processes are not yet mature enough to scale it (Gartner CMO Spend Survey, 2026). See moving from AI tools to AI systems.

What does this mean for your brand?

• Write the one sentence. Agree on what the brand stands for, and check whether AI assistants already repeat it.

• Audit your assets. List what people recognise without your logo, and stop diluting it with generic AI content.

• Put proof where it can be checked. Show cases, origins and craft on your own site, in plain language.

• Protect loyalty spend. Do not let awareness quietly absorb the budget for existing customers.

• Fund AI as a system. Build workflows and skills before buying another tool.

Frequently asked questions

What are the top CMO priorities for 2026?

Revenue growth is the top priority for CMOs in 2026, according to Gartner's survey of 174 senior marketing leaders. Brand awareness follows as a key response to AI-mediated buying (Gartner, 2025).

Are marketing budgets growing in 2026?

Barely. Gartner reports marketing budgets at 7.8 per cent of company revenue in 2026, compared with 7.7 per cent in 2025.

How much of the marketing budget goes to AI?

CMOs spend on average 15.3 per cent of their marketing budget on AI initiatives in 2026. Organisations more ready for AI spend 21.3 per cent.

How do I know if my brand is visible in AI search?

Ask the assistants your buyers use the questions your buyers ask, and compare the answers with your brand platform. Many cannot yet measure this: 45 per cent of marketing leaders in Semrush's 2026 research say they cannot do it accurately.

What are distinctive brand assets?

Distinctive brand assets are the colours, shapes, characters, sounds and phrases people link to one brand without seeing its name. They make a brand recognisable across channels, packaging and AI-generated content.

Should we cut loyalty spend to fund awareness?

Not by default. Loyalty and retention spend has fallen 29 per cent since 2024, while CMOs name loyalty as their most common response to a weaker economy.

Where to start

The priorities for 2026 and 2027 come down to being easy to describe, hard to confuse and simple to believe. Clarity, distinctiveness and proof do that for people and for the AI systems that increasingly speak for them. If you want to talk about where your brand stands, write to us at hello@iwagency.com.

Sources

• CMOs' Top Challenges & Priorities For 2026 — Gartner, 2025

• Gartner 2026 CMO Spend Survey Finds CMOs Allocate 15.3% of Marketing Budgets to AI, but Only 30% Are Ready to Scale AI Capabilities — Gartner via Business Wire, 2026

• Gartner Marketing Survey Finds Awareness and Conversion Account for 62.6% of Total Media Spend — Gartner, 2026

• The CMO Survey: Highlights and Insights Report 2026 — The CMO Survey, 2026

• Semrush Releases Expanded 2026 AI Visibility Index, Analyzing 126 Million AI Search Prompts — Semrush, 2026