Introduction

New McKinsey research shows CMOs are losing influence in the C-suite, widening gaps with CEOs and CFOs. Rebuilding this trio could unlock growth.

What’s the problem it solves?

Many CMOs are being left out of key strategy talks. This weakens customer focus, causes budget misalignment, and limits growth potential.

Quick Summary

The research highlights a growing divide in the C-suite: CEOs think they understand marketing, but most CMOs disagree. The number of executive roles has ballooned, spreading responsibility across too many titles and leaving no single leader fully accountable for customer-driven growth. Companies with an empowered CMO who owns the customer journey perform better, yet only half of CMOs are involved in strategy planning today.

The solution is stronger alignment between the CEO, CMO, and CFO. CMOs must adopt a general manager’s mindset, tie marketing activity to financial outcomes, and push for clear measurement systems that balance short- and long-term growth. CFOs play a critical role in shaping trust by ensuring marketing investment ties back to revenue and margin impact.

Looking ahead, CMOs must reframe their role as the voice of the customer, partner deeply with finance and strategy leaders, and embrace AI as a force multiplier for creative and operational efficiency. Companies that master this trio-customer focus, financial accountability, and AI-enabled speed-will outpace competitors.

Key Takeaways

• C-suite teams have grown 50% in size, but accountability for growth is diluted.
• Companies with marketing in strategy see 1.4x higher revenue; with a unified CMO, 2.3x growth.
• The CEO-CMO trust gap has widened by 20%. Only 30% of CMOs think CEOs understand marketing.
• Most CEOs and CMOs agree marketing is underfunded, yet budgets continue to shrink.
• CMOs need to act like general managers, not just marketers.
• AI is reshaping marketing workflows-winners will be “human + agent” teams.

What to do

• Push for CMOs to own the customer journey end to end.
• Build a joint CEO–CMO–CFO measurement system linking activities to growth and margins.
• Reframe marketing in terms of P&L contribution, not just brand or leads.
• Start regular conversations with CEOs and CFOs on goals, funding, and metrics.
• Rethink budget cuts: cutting marketing often cuts growth.
• Educate leadership on modern marketing and customer behavior shifts.
• Embrace AI as a structural change, not just a tool, to speed up and scale creativity.

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