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Written by: Molly McClure
Marketing is no longer a back-office function waiting for direction. In 2025, it stands at the center of business growth, shaping vision, driving measurable results, and uniting teams around a shared purpose. Today’s most effective marketing leaders speak with clarity, lead with empathy, and hold themselves accountable for outcomes that matter to the entire organization.
Marketing’s Growth Mandate
Chief Marketing Officers are clear: marketing is a growth engine, not a support function. Michael Senackerib, former CMO of Campbell Soup Company, puts it plainly: “It’s clear that strong marketing is crucial to top-line growth”. This belief is echoed across the C-suite. As Jim Lecinski, former Google executive and marketing professor, explains, “Marketing must drive revenue, profit and share, emphasizing outcomes over metrics like likes or downloads."
Recent studies reinforce this shift. In a 2025 survey of 835 CMOs, 71% cited brand awareness and 59% cited customer retention as their top priorities, but the real breakthrough is that marketing budgets are rising, and marketing is no longer the first target for cuts. Successful businesses now recognize marketing’s essential role in driving growth.
Beth Comstock, former CMO of GE, captures the new mindset: “While we do [advertising], we have made sure that marketing has been redefined as innovation. We expect our marketers to champion ‘what’s next.'"
Data, Personalization, and Technology as Growth Levers
The business value of personalization is clearer than ever. Deloitte’s 2025 Marketing Trends report shows that brands excelling in personalization consistently outperform revenue goals, as customers buy more, more often, and remain loyal over time. Generative AI is also becoming a core asset, with an expected $10 billion uplift for enterprise software companies that integrate these tools. CMOs see AI as a critical tool for process optimization and creative inspiration, not just efficiency.
Susan Schramm, CMO of Motel One, describes the new CMO “superpowers” as “analytical skills for interpreting customer data, creative leadership to stay agile amid rapid changes, and empathy for understanding both data and emotional cues in consumer behavior."
CMO Voices: Marketing as a Driver of Business Value
CMOs are vocal about their expanded role:
- “Marketing momentum is about the everyday energy and relevance that you keep pulsing throughout your brand and organization.” — Sheryl A., former CMO, Mary Kay
- “Always think about the next horizon. Customers own the conversation now. You must play among them to influence them.” — Robin Korman, former CMO, Wyndham Destination Network
- “When you hear marketing, most people think of advertising. While we do that, we have made sure that marketing has been redefined as innovation.” — Beth Comstock, former CMO, GE
- “The coming year will see CMOs expand their roles beyond marketing, becoming innovators and growth drivers across the C-suite.” — 2025 CMO Trends Report
Helen Cutmore, Marketing Director at De’Longhi, adds, “Tomorrow’s CMO needs vision and must communicate across all levels without marketing jargon to build acceptance for marketing. On an operational level, it’s essential to manage the big picture alongside a strong team of experts."
From Support Role to Growth Engine
One of the most compelling examples of this shift is the journey of Jill Baskin, the former Chief Marketing Officer at The Hershey Company. When Jill Baskin took over as CMO at Hershey, marketing was often seen as a service department—tasked with running campaigns and responding to internal requests. The challenge was clear: how to move from being an “order taker” to a true business partner, accountable for growth and innovation.
Baskin met this challenge head-on. She broke down silos by bringing together insights, strategy, design, creative, and media-buying teams, fostering a culture of collaboration and shared purpose. Under her leadership, Hershey’s marketing department shifted focus from simply executing campaigns to driving measurable business outcomes. The results were striking: Hershey improved its return on media spending by nearly 10%, reduced overhead by 25%, and increased the output of its in-house content studio, C-Sweet.
Baskin’s approach exemplifies the new CMO mindset. She partnered with influencer companies and digital platforms, rolled out innovative new products like Hershey’s Gold, and launched creative campaigns that revitalized iconic brands such as Reese’s and Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar with Reese’s Pieces. These initiatives not only elevated Hershey’s brand presence but also contributed directly to sales growth and market relevance.
Jill Baskin’s story is a testament to what’s possible when marketing is empowered as a strategic partner. By integrating teams, focusing on business outcomes, and championing innovation, she transformed Hershey’s marketing from a reactive support function into a proactive driver of growth. This mirrors the broader evolution of the CMO role, as highlighted in industry research and rankings of innovative marketing leaders.
Collaboration, Accountability, and the C-Suite
The modern CMO is a connector, working across departments to align marketing strategy with business objectives. McKinsey & Company notes, “Building metrics that tie directly to financial outcomes and fostering cross-functional alliances will be critical to demonstrating marketing’s value at the boardroom level."
In the words of the CMO Insights Report 2025, “The role of the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) has never been more dynamic. Today’s CMOs are being asked to navigate unprecedented complexity to drive growth and deliver measurable results."
Real-World Momentum: Growth in Action
- Adidas’ CMO, Alex Lee, leverages nostalgia and modernity to strengthen the brand’s cultural relevance, driving both sales and brand affinity.
- At Workday, CMO Emma Chalwin disrupts the B2B marketing mold by emphasizing a human-centric approach, proving that emotional connection and business growth go hand in hand.
- Companies with mature partnership programs now generate 28% of their revenue from partnerships, and those who integrate partnerships into their marketing mix see a 29% increase in revenue growth.
The Path Forward: Leadership with Purpose
The most effective marketing leaders are those who blend vision with accountability, data with empathy, and innovation with operational excellence. As Anne Finucane, former CMO of Bank of America, advises, “If you create a purpose, make sure you deliver on that purpose. It is the filter through which you make every decision."
Marketing’s job is not just to tell the story, but to shape the future—to lead with clarity, inspire teams, and deliver results that drive the business forward.