While more than 90 per cent of marketing leaders, including chief marketing officers (CMOs), chief executive officers (CEOs) and senior marketing leaders across C-suite and top leadership levels, have stated that while their top priority is still to drive measurable business growth, the pressure is increasing.
These results were shared in the latest ABG Pulse Survey titled Middle East Marketing Leadership in a Time of Change based on a senior respondent base, with approximately 70 per cent of participants at C-suite or top leadership level..
As pressure increases, marketing is becoming more tightly aligned with the broader business agenda.
Eleni Kitra, CEO and Executive Director, Advertising Business Group (ABG), explains, “Growth, brand, and technology have always been at the core of marketing. What has changed is the context in which they must now be delivered, under greater scrutiny, with faster decision-making, and far less room for error. This is also bringing marketing closer to the core of the business, with stronger alignment with CEOs and CFOs on growth, investment, and accountability.”
CMOs are navigating geopolitical uncertainty, shifting consumer sentiment, and increasing internal scrutiny – all at the same time.
Marketing is more than a growth driver; it is under pressure to prove impact, justify investment and deliver accountability.
Marketing is operating in real time.
- 60 per cent have already adjusted plans or investments.
- 65 per cent say their biggest challenge is delivering growth while navigating uncertainty.
The shift is clear: marketing has moved away from structured planning cycles into continuous adaptation. Campaigns are recalibrated faster. Messaging is more context-aware. Investment decisions are increasingly fluid.
AI: adoption is clear, maturity is not.
- 50 per cent applying AI in selected areas.
- 15 per cent fully integrated.
- 20 per cent still exploring.
AI is now expected. The real differentiation comes from how it is applied.
The gap between those integrating AI into their operating models and those still experimenting is becoming more visible, and increasingly tied to performance outcomes.
Consumers are more cautious, and more critical.
- 35 per cent more value-driven.
- 25 per cent more sensitive to messaging and tone.
This creates a tighter operating space for brands.
Visibility alone is not enough. Relevance, timing, and tone now carry significantly more weight.
Looking at the real tension inside organisations, 65 per cent of leaders highlight the challenge of balancing short-term performance with long-term brand building.
This is not new. But it is more intense. Short-term delivery is under pressure. Long-term brand still matters.
The challenge for CMOs is not choosing between the two, it is executing both, simultaneously, without compromise.
Not a crisis, but a reset in execution.
- 45 per cent expect moderate impact.
- 30 per cent expect significant pressure.
The market is going through a period of adjustment, with growth expectations still firmly in place but delivered under different conditions.
Leaders are responding with a more measured and pragmatic approach, refining how they operate rather than stepping back.
Peer exchange matters now, more than ever.
One of the strongest signals from the survey is the need for peer-to-peer exchange.
In a fast-moving environment, competitive advantage is not just about strategy, it is about how quickly organisations learn, adapt, and respond.
This is the thinking behind the ABG CMO Forum, launching on 29 April, an invitation-only network of senior marketing leaders designed to move beyond discussion and into practical, shared solutions.
This isn’t about changing direction, it’s about delivering the same priorities under more pressure.
Growth, brand, and technology remain firmly at the core. What has changed is how they need to be executed, faster, with greater scrutiny, and within a more complex environment.
For CMOs in the Middle East, the challenge is less about defining the strategy, and more about executing it consistently, at pace, and to a higher standard.
