Amber Brown

expert panel

Marketing teams have long treated headlines, summaries and preview text as small but important pieces of brand real estate. They’ve studied the mechanics of search engine results pages, recognizing that search details are often an audience’s first introduction to an organization—a chance to frame the story, set expectations and earn a coveted click.But the framing of that first connection is getting less predictable. As Google and other platforms increasingly reshape how content appears in search results, social feeds and AI-generated summaries, companies may find that their audience’s first encounter with them is an intermediary’s version of their pitch, USP or vision. That changes a fairly simple question—“Did we get the headline right?”—to a much more complex one: “Does our message survive reinterpretation?”When the channels driving discovery are also translating, compressing and repackaging content, it can be tempting to retreat from outside platforms, but that’s not realistic; they’re too central to how people find information. Instead, marketing leaders need to think more carefully about how brand meaning holds up when it’s filtered through systems they don’t own. Below, members of the Senior Executive CMO Think Tank discuss how CMOs can protect clarity, trust and differentiation as search engines, AI tools and other intermediaries reshape audiences’ first encounters with their messaging.

expert panel

In the brand marketing world, there’s always been a scramble to catch consumers’ attention. In a digital marketplace, jostling for position takes place moment by moment, and finding a hook that grabs the audience can make a game-changing difference for both new and established brands. In this spirit, unlikely brand pairings are having a moment. Cross-industry collaborations are gaining momentum as brands look for fresh ways to earn new audience attention in an oversaturated market. A quirky matchup can spark curiosity, intrigue or delight—maybe even a viral moment. From beauty lines teaming up with cookie makers to fast food giants joining forces with toothpaste brands, the collision of categories is becoming a bona fide strategy rather than a passing stunt.  But as any CMO will tell you, “novelty” campaigns that catch fire quickly can also burn out fast. The marketing leaders of Senior Executive CMO Think Tank spend their days navigating the intersections of brand storytelling and customer psychology. They know that the real magic happens only when the bold and unexpected is grounded in something meaningful—alignment, authenticity and a reason for customers to care long after the initial surprise wears off. Here, a group of them share what it really takes to turn a head-turning partnership into an enduring marketing advantage.

expert panel

In recent years, several prominent brands have learned that marketing can misfire when it collides with consumer sentiment. Bud Light, American Eagle and Cracker Barrel, among others, have drawn public attention not for their creativity or ambition, but for misreading how audiences would react to “clever” campaigns or evolving branding. Even well-intentioned marketing or modernization efforts can alienate longtime customers if they believe campaigns aren’t grounded in authenticity and respect. For marketing leaders, these examples underscore the need for disciplined “backfire filters”—structured ways to assess cultural sensitivity, audience alignment and brand equity before campaigns reach the public. Here, senior marketing experts from the Senior Executive CMO Think Tank share how they would have approached the internal conversations surrounding recent “marketing misfires.”

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With Meta reportedly planning to fully automate ad creation by 2026—from copywriting and creative to targeting and placement—CMOs face a pivotal question: What’s left for human marketers? Members of the Senior Executive CMO Think Tank share their insights on the risks, rewards and redefinition of creative work in the age of AI.

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As AI-powered answer engines reshape how people discover information online, CMOs are rethinking SEO—not abandoning it. From optimizing for structured data to prioritizing brand authority and content relevance, marketing leaders are evolving their strategies to stay visible in both traditional search and conversational AI results.

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While flashy marketing trends dominate headlines in 2025, many CMOs are steering clear. Members of the CMO Think Tank share why they’re skipping the hype in favor of strategy, substance, and sustainable growth.