In the recently released dentsu CMO Navigator 2026 – Media Edition: Rethinking Marketing in the Age of AI, we compared the responses to identical questions we received from consumers and CMOs to identify a select group of Perceptive CMOs: marketers who are more successful than their peers by calibrating their strategies at the intersection where consumer wants and business needs overlap.
The findings of this research exercise are a great proof point for Carat’s core philosophy: the path to growth for every brand lies in the ability to put every decision through the lens of what it means for people. Perceptive CMOs are twice more likely than their peers to work for companies that experience greater than 10% revenue increases in the previous 12 months. Similarly, the likelihood they are in a position where they feel they can expect +10% budget increases is far more significant compared to non-perceptive CMOs.
While more in tune and empathetic with consumers’ views on culture (the core thesis for the definition of the Perceptive CMO audience in this edition of the report), Perceptive CMOs do not settle for simply conforming their strategies to what they already know audiences will respond to. They, in fact, display greater receptiveness to innovation initiatives and embracing market disruptors: 79% of Perceptive CMOs say the proliferation of AI capabilities is completely reshaping their go-to-market strategies, while this share falls to only 29% among their “non-perceptive” peers.
Their understanding of people leads Perceptive CMOs to be more likely to believe a large share of future revenue will be fueled by disruptions and innovatiosn that are still on the horizon, vs. already in market. This is leading them to be more focused on product development and large transformation initiatives than their peers. In the media space, specifically, Perceptive CMOs over-index on prioritizing their AI focus in the area of strategy, creative, and content development for media use.
Read the Full Report
Want to learn how marketing leaders are reshaping their strategies to make an impact on their businesses? Get your copy of the CMO Navigator 2026 – Media Edition to explore the following topics:
- Business Growth Inspires an Optimistic Outlook
- Leaning on AI to Deliver on a Widening Marketing Mandate
- How AI is Reshaping CMO Strategies
- Partnering with Sports and Entertainment IP
- Media Transformation in the Algorithmic Era
- A New Breed of CMO: The Perceptive CMO
