IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Chief Marketing Officer 2025 Predictions
This IDC study provides IDC’s top 10 predictions for the chief marketing officer for 2025 and beyond.“Marketing’s future is represented by AI-fueled transformation. We only see the tip of the iceberg today, and lying underneath is a world where AI becomes the new operational fabric of marketing and sales, redefining the role of marketing, the people who work within marketing, and the way brands deliver a compelling, engaging customer experience,” says Laurie Buczek, Group Vice President, Executives Insights and Leadership Services at IDC. “The IDC predictions will allow chief marketing officers to leapfrog the technology adoption curve, embracing AI to fuel marketing innovation and business growth.”
IDC FutureScape Figure
Executive Summary
IDC FutureScape Predictions
Summary of External Drivers
Predictions: Impact on Technology Buyers
Prediction 1: By 2027, IDC Predicts Companies Will Spend More than $150 Billion on AI-Related Infrastructure, Platforms, Software, and Services to Support Their Ability to Compete on Highly Personalized CXs
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Business Impact
Guidance
Prediction 2: By 2029, All Companies Will Spend Up to Five Times More on LLM Optimization than Search Optimization to Influence GenAI Systems and Raise the Priority and Ranking of Their Brands
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Business Impact
Guidance
Prediction 3: By 2026, if Marketers Fail to Implement Digital Trust Practices for AI/GenAI Transparency and Ethical Data Handling, They Will Risk Losing Over 79% of Customer Loyalty and Damaging Their Brand Reputation
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Business Impact
Guidance
Prediction 4: By 2028, 55% of Midtier B2C Brands Will Use Autonomous Agents to Establish Aspirational Luxury Marketing Experiences with Curated Offerings and White-Glove Service
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Business Impact
Guidance
Prediction 5: By 2028, 62% of Traditional B2B Lead and Demand Generation Efforts Will Transition to Automated Sensing, Personalized Engagement, Content Creation, and Fast-Pathing Customers to Transactional Commerce
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Business Impact
Guidance
Prediction 6: By 2026, 65% of Individuals Will Search for Information and Engage in Dialogue with Brands via GenAI, Forcing Marketers to Build and Optimize for Humanized Digital AI as the Primary Customer Interface
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Business Impact
Guidance
Prediction 7: By 2028, Traditional Agencies Will Reduce Staff by 55%, Migrating Execution to Limited, AI-Enabled Contractors and Focusing the Remaining Resources on Advanced Data Governance, AI Services, and Strategy
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Business Impact
Guidance
Prediction 8: By 2029, 30% of Enterprise Conferencing and Virtual Events Will Use Lifelike Experiences with Holographic Copresence
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Business Impact
Guidance
Prediction 9: By 2028, Three of Five Marketing Roles or Functions Will Be Held by AI Workers, Shifting Humans and Their Expertise Toward Strategy, Creativity, and Ethics and Managing a Blended Human and AI Workforce
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Business Impact
Guidance
Prediction 10: By 2027, 50% of G2000 Companies Will Miss Out on Customer and Partner Engagements and First-Party Data from Blended Communities — Hiding in Plain Sight
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Business Impact
Guidance
Advice for Technology Buyers
External Drivers: Detail
AI-Driven Business Models — Moving from AI Experimentation to Monetization
The Drive to Automate — Toward a Data-Driven Future
AI-Driven Workplace Transformation — Building Tomorrow’s Workforce Today
Expanding Digital Security Frontiers — Fortification Against Multiplying Threats
Responsible and Human-Centric Technology — Ethics in the Enterprise
Customer Experience Squared — Consumer and Citizen Expectations for Digital Services
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