TLDR: Dentsu Creative’s 2025 CMO Report, ‘Agents of Reinvention: Marketing at the Intersection of AI and Human Ingenuity,’ highlights that AI is now deeply embedded in marketing practices. The report, based on insights from over 1,950 senior marketing leaders across 14 markets, emphasizes the increasing importance of human creativity, empathy, and cultural intelligence in an AI-driven world. It identifies 10 key themes shaping marketing in 2025, focusing on moving beyond efficiency to achieve greater effectiveness and personalization through the synergistic combination of AI and human skills.
Dentsu Creative has unveiled its annual global CMO Report for 2025, titled ‘Agents of Reinvention: Marketing at the Intersection of AI and Human Ingenuity.’ The comprehensive study, drawing on insights from more than 1,950 senior marketing leaders across 14 global markets, reveals a pivotal shift in the marketing landscape: artificial intelligence is no longer an ’emerging’ technology but is now deeply embedded in everyday marketing practice. This widespread adoption of AI, however, paradoxically elevates the value of human creativity, empathy, and cultural intelligence.
The report identifies 10 critical themes that will shape marketing strategies in 2025. These themes range from ‘anticipating the algorithm’ and ‘investing in intimacy’ to ‘building trust and taste in an era of Agentic AI.’ A central finding is the fascinating set of contradictions faced by modern marketers. In a world increasingly governed by algorithms and powered by AI, the human element becomes more valuable than ever.
AI’s integration into marketing workflows is significant, with almost every CMO surveyed utilizing AI in their personal tasks, and over 30% engaging with it daily. Marketers view AI as a crucial enabler for content at scale, yet there’s a strong desire to transcend mere efficiency and achieve greater effectiveness and personalization. A striking 90% of respondents aim to combine agile production with intelligent data to deliver the right message to the right customer at the right moment. Despite this ambition, 76% acknowledge that their ability to create content at pace remains a barrier to their personalization efforts.
Niccolò Rigo, Chief Strategy Officer of Dentsu Creative Italy, commented on this dynamic, stating, “The more AI becomes useful and utilized, the more the human touch makes the difference. The fluctuation in CMOs’ confidence over the last three years regarding generative AI’s ability to replace human imagination and emotionally impact people is illustrative: after last year’s peak, this year 8 out of 10 CMOs again doubt that this can ever truly happen. In a growing sea of AI-generated content served by algorithms, the need for brands to be different and empathetic has never seemed so important.”
Yasu Sasaki, Global Chief Creative Officer at dentsu, further elaborated on the report’s findings: “What we clearly see in this report is that while clients are embracing AI at pace, they remain committed to the power of human craft and creativity. As we adopt AI at scale, it places an ever-greater premium on originality and innovation: AI is exceptionally good at prediction but creativity by its very nature is unpredictable. What is most exciting is when AI and human creativity come together to unlock new possibilities, spot new patterns and shape new futures. That’s why we see clients committing to invest more than ever in innovation in 2026 and beyond.”
Also Read:
- MarTech Gains Marketer Preference Amidst Continued AdTech Spending Dominance at ET MarTech+ Summit 2025
- Human Networks Outpace AI and Search as Most Trusted Information Source Amid Digital Overload, LinkedIn Study Reveals
The report also highlights a strong commitment to future innovation, with over 70% of CMOs planning to allocate more than 20% of their future budgets to this area. Agentic AI is a particular focus, with 89% of marketing leaders recognizing its transformative potential. However, the same percentage emphasizes that in an environment dominated by intelligent agents, trust, taste, and the ability to foster brand love will be the ultimate differentiators.
