Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) in India are increasingly being held accountable for delivering not just brand value but also profitability and revenue growth, as they navigate the complex terrain of AI adoption, evolving customer expectations, and workforce transformation, according to the IBM CMO Study 2025, released today by the IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV).
The global study, conducted in partnership with Oxford Economics, reveals that 63% of Indian CMOs are now directly responsible for ensuring profitability, closely mirroring the global figure of 64%. Meanwhile, 53% of Indian CMOs are tasked with driving revenue growth, marking a significant expansion in the traditional remit of marketing leaders.
“As AI radically transforms how businesses engage, operate and grow, Indian CMOs are uniquely positioned to lead this shift by harnessing AI responsibly,” said Tuhina Pandey, Director – APAC Communications & Marketing, India and South Asia, IBM. “While the potential of AI is clear, what’s needed now is a bold new playbook, one powered by trusted data, skilled talent, cultural reset and AI augmentation.”
The study finds that Indian CMOs are aligning their strategies to meet both short-term performance goals and long-term transformation imperatives. They are focusing on customer experience, scalable service delivery, technology modernisation, marketing and sales effectiveness, and business model innovation. These priorities reflect a clear pivot towards future-proofing the organisation while ensuring operational efficiency and customer-centric growth.
Despite the enthusiasm around generative and Agentic AI, significant challenges remain. Only 26% of Indian CMOs report having responsible AI guidelines in place to ensure fairness, transparency and accountability in automated decision-making. While 44% believe their functions are ready to adopt Agentic AI, just 26% feel confident they have the right talent to meet their goals over the next two years. Only 23% have prepared their teams for the cultural and operational changes that AI will bring.
The study also finds that although 63% of Indian CMOs agree that proprietary data is key to unlocking generative AI’s potential, only 1% of enterprise data is currently being utilised, a stark indication of underused digital assets.
Organisational silos continue to hamper effectiveness: just one in three organisations has a cross-functional view of the customer journey, and CMOs estimate that fully aligning marketing, sales and operations could lead to a revenue uplift of up to 20%.
On a more optimistic note, Indian CMOs are leading globally in forging ecosystem partnerships. Around 62% prioritise external collaboration as a strategic imperative, significantly above the global average of 47%.
The IBM Institute for Business Value, in collaboration with Oxford Economics, surveyed 1,800 CMOs and Chief Sales Officers (CSOs) across 33 countries and 24 industries between March and May 2025. Although the roles of CMO and CSO were both included, findings are attributed to “CMOs” for simplicity. The research explored executive priorities, customer experience strategies, AI and technology adoption, data usage, cross-functional alignment and talent readiness.
The global study, conducted in partnership with Oxford Economics, reveals that 63% of Indian CMOs are now directly responsible for ensuring profitability, closely mirroring the global figure of 64%. Meanwhile, 53% of Indian CMOs are tasked with driving revenue growth, marking a significant expansion in the traditional remit of marketing leaders.
“As AI radically transforms how businesses engage, operate and grow, Indian CMOs are uniquely positioned to lead this shift by harnessing AI responsibly,” said Tuhina Pandey, Director – APAC Communications & Marketing, India and South Asia, IBM. “While the potential of AI is clear, what’s needed now is a bold new playbook, one powered by trusted data, skilled talent, cultural reset and AI augmentation.”
The study finds that Indian CMOs are aligning their strategies to meet both short-term performance goals and long-term transformation imperatives. They are focusing on customer experience, scalable service delivery, technology modernisation, marketing and sales effectiveness, and business model innovation. These priorities reflect a clear pivot towards future-proofing the organisation while ensuring operational efficiency and customer-centric growth.
Despite the enthusiasm around generative and Agentic AI, significant challenges remain. Only 26% of Indian CMOs report having responsible AI guidelines in place to ensure fairness, transparency and accountability in automated decision-making. While 44% believe their functions are ready to adopt Agentic AI, just 26% feel confident they have the right talent to meet their goals over the next two years. Only 23% have prepared their teams for the cultural and operational changes that AI will bring.
The study also finds that although 63% of Indian CMOs agree that proprietary data is key to unlocking generative AI’s potential, only 1% of enterprise data is currently being utilised, a stark indication of underused digital assets.
Organisational silos continue to hamper effectiveness: just one in three organisations has a cross-functional view of the customer journey, and CMOs estimate that fully aligning marketing, sales and operations could lead to a revenue uplift of up to 20%.
On a more optimistic note, Indian CMOs are leading globally in forging ecosystem partnerships. Around 62% prioritise external collaboration as a strategic imperative, significantly above the global average of 47%.
The IBM Institute for Business Value, in collaboration with Oxford Economics, surveyed 1,800 CMOs and Chief Sales Officers (CSOs) across 33 countries and 24 industries between March and May 2025. Although the roles of CMO and CSO were both included, findings are attributed to “CMOs” for simplicity. The research explored executive priorities, customer experience strategies, AI and technology adoption, data usage, cross-functional alignment and talent readiness.
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