Chris Warren

Two-thirds of companies viewed retail media as a sales driver, but only 12 percent used it to build their brand, according to a new survey. Only 31 percent said it was a valuable marketing tool right now. The lack of consistent and industrywide measurement on the effectiveness of retail media investments is one reason brands remain cool to the market.

Not all in-house agencies will stop working with external agencies altogether. But a recent ANA study shows that in-house agencies continue to increase their clout and companies are working with fewer external agencies as a result. In fact, the study predicts that 85 to 90 percent of member companies will ultimately have in-house agencies handling some aspect of their marketing activities.

As difficult as it may be when it comes to aligning marketing with financial outcomes, there is a path for CMOs and CFOs to have a more productive relationship.

A recent study coproduced by Chief Marketer and One Trust presents a bit of dichotomy for B2B firms: Although marketers are being tasked with taming their budgets, nearly 80 percent of the study's respondents said their budgets were either increasing or staying the same this year.

As the marketing industry continues its digitalization, universities and colleges offer pools of talent steeped in digital communication that show little interest in marketing. What can brands do to avoid being the odd man out on campus?

After first gaining popularity in China, livestream shopping is growing fast in the U.S., with the market expected to reach $32 billion this year, nearly double compared to 2022. Conversion rates are also on the upswing. As they ramp up their investments in livestreaming, it's key for brand managers to develop programming that will both entertain viewers and mesh with other marketing channels.

Spending on influencer marketing is expected to grow to $6.1 billion in 2023 and $7.1 billion in 2024, per Insider Intelligence. But as the market expands, brand managers are starting to ask tougher questions about the advantages — and drawbacks — of using influencers to help boost engagement efforts and land new customers.

As companies began to double down on their online marketing efforts due to the pandemic, newly hired CMOs were able to command higher salaries. But the calculus for CMO pay may be changing, as companies face a possible recession.

With Black History Month around the corner, a growing number of brands are moving beyond a four-week window tied to the celebration to forge deeper relationships with Black-owned businesses and Black communities. The efforts range from hands-on training to help companies go to market faster to making people aware of rapidly changing demographics in the U.S.

The pandemic jolted many brands into beefing up their digital marketing and some into switching their ad agencies. But while the tumult caused by COVID-19 has subsided, the pace of account reviews has only accelerated.

Fraud in digital advertising remains an issue, and while the exact scale of the problem is a matter of dispute, there's widespread agreement that as the market grows, so will the need for brands to take an active role in protecting their investments.