Marketing technology provider, Dotdigital has shared the results of its first global CMO report, which highlights the trends disrupting the digital marketing landscape in 2024. There were four key themes to emerge from the report:
- AI challenges
Although most marketing teams use AI tools for marketing automation (32%) and data analysis (31%), significant barriers remain. One in three (33%) marketers admit to lacking confidence and skills in using AI effectively, and 30% are also concerned about data privacy issues with open-source models.
2. Regulatory concerns
Nearly half of those surveyed still feel unprepared to deal with new data regulations, with 32% citing regulatory compliance as the biggest challenge within their marketing team. They listed a lack of visibility and control of endpoints as a barrier to maintaining compliance with regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
3. Rising importance of CX
Marketing teams are increasingly assuming responsibility for managing customer experience (CX) to enhance engagement, marking a notable shift. Although traditionally CX teams have operated across various departments, a growing number of marketers (32%) now consider CX a primary focus and essential duty.
4. Top investment areas
Regarding innovation, marketers globally reported the top investment areas as automation software (43%), influencer marketing (35%) and AI integration (30%). These technological advancements help CMOs empower their teams to create the best experiences without the heavy lifting.
Dotdigital chief marketing officer, Juliette Aiken said, “To engage modern consumers, marketers must balance innovation with authenticity, adapt to shifts in the marketing landscape, and invest in technologies that drive creative, tailored customer experiences. It’s crucial to embrace these advancements while upholding data privacy and ethical standards to maintain customer trust.
“Embracing technology without hesitation is vital to avoid being left behind. We encourage all marketers to be adaptive and resilient, innovate relentlessly, and craft unique campaigns to capture consumer attention in novel ways.”
Future trends and predictions
More than one-third (36%) of marketing leaders see data privacy regulations as a key opportunity to gain consumer trust, a figure that will most likely increase.
Addressing the gap in AI, prompting skills will be crucial in the coming year as businesses adopt more structured AI implementations and the hype around the technology stabilises. Marketers should focus on enhancing transparency and fostering human-AI collaboration in content creation.
With marketing teams taking greater CX ownership, CMOs will expect marketing automation platforms to provide advanced data insights, enable two-way communication, and integrate tools like the WhatsApp Business API. Decision-makers will look for platforms with CDP-like capabilities.
Partnerships with micro-influencers (1,000 to 100,000 followers) are expected to surge as these influencers connect meaningfully with target audiences on brand-aligned topics, offering cost-effectiveness, credible endorsements, and higher engagement rates.