The newly published CMO Barometer shows that only two out of five Swiss marketing managers expect the marketing budget to remain the same in 2025 - optimism is waning. This development is boosting the rise of AI - and is pushing the topic of “sustainability” out of the top 5 topics in marketing.

While more than half of advertisers in Germany expect the economic situation to remain unchanged in 2025, around 40% of CMOs in Austria and France fear that the situation will deteriorate. Only the Netherlands and the Middle East have a positive outlook on the economic situation.

Against the backdrop of less optimistic economic and budget developments, it is hardly surprising that AI and marketing automation clearly emerge as top personal topics in the coming year. In Switzerland as well as at Europe & Middle East level.

Topics relating to increasing efficiency and technical and functional solutions will be the focus of advertisers in 2025. The change in focus will contribute to “sustainability” being pushed out of the top topics in marketing. Sustainability is therefore no longer represented in the top 5 ranking. In the future, alongside the keyword “AI”, topics such as “emotional brand building” and “content creation” will also feature, particularly in Switzerland. Creativity in the message as well as in the dissemination of the message are in demand and are seen as the key to future success.

This success requires human skills and CMOs will need even better management and leadership skills in the future in order to strategically pursue a visionary goal with a strong team. At the same time, the entire team must remain adaptable and flexible. In a complex (marketing) world, team development and trust are becoming key aspects. The focus is on strategic competencies and brand management skills, followed by digital competencies including AI.

“The trend will be towards voice search, as this is increasingly in line with user behavior, especially with regard to smartphones. AI remains a big topic,” says Dr. Maria Comos-Birmanns, Head of Marketing and Communication at Kalaidos University of Applied Sciences Switzerland. And Inga Niemeyer, Head of Marketing at Baloise, writes: “Tight budgets and resources require marketing activities to be focused on clearly defined goals and topics. Increasing efficiency and effectiveness is a top topic in the coming year”.