From basics to bold: How CMOs are rethinking marketing for 2026

This week, I read McKinsey's State of Marketing Europe 2026, a must-read for marketing leaders and executives. The report surveyed 500 senior marketing leaders across France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK, identifying the top 20 topics shaping 2026 agendas. These are grouped into three core themes: Be Trusted, Be Effective, Be Bold — essentially “back to basics” growth levers (strong distinctive brand, clear and consistent value proposition, trust, relevance, and creativity) enhanced by technology.

The report powerfully validates what many of us have consistently emphasised: mastering the fundamentals is crucial, followed by utilising modern tools to amplify, not replace, effective marketing thinking.

Back to basics, with modern tools

Branding has come out as the number one priority for 2026, a clear signal that long-term brand equity and distinctiveness are again seen as the backbone of resilience and growth in volatile markets. It’s encouraging to see marketing leaders are doubling down on brand, trust, and ROI while, interestingly, many are still underestimating the transformative potential of AI and other technologies.

Theme 1: Be trusted

Focusing on trust places brand strength at the forefront: branding (#1), authenticity (#4), and employer branding (#5) all rank in the top five. The report emphasises a shift from “spin” to substance, with brands expected to substantiate their promises through valuable content and interactive experiences that create two-way dialogue and community. This transition involves moving from brand-only, upper-funnel campaigns to full-funnel strategies that integrate long-term equity building with effective sales triggers.

Brand, authenticity, and employer reputation

McKinsey reinforces that a strong brand differentiates, creates recognition, and builds trust and loyalty both externally and internally. Authenticity, ranked #4, is defined as the genuine expression of a brand’s values, mission, through transparency and consistency that resonates emotionally with customers. .

Employer branding, at #5, reflects this shift, as candidates increasingly seek insights from reviews and employee stories to gauge a company's true character.

Theme 2: Be effective

The theme of effectiveness highlights the ongoing performance pressure CMOs face, even as many plan to boost marketing budgets relative to sales in 2026. Budget management ranks as the second overall priority, while measuring marketing ROI occupies the sixth slot. Notably, five of the ten most crucial topics revolve around enhancing marketing's contribution to overall business outcomes.

For B2B leaders, this necessitates more precise budget allocations across paid media, digital marketing, and upper-funnel branding, supported by rigorous marketing ROI frameworks and cross-functional alignment with sales and finance.

Theme 3: Be bold 

The “Be bold” theme highlights an uncomfortable truth: only around 6 percent of European marketing organisations rate their generative AI maturity as high, and these leaders are already seeing efficiency gains of roughly 22 percent, with expectations to reach close to 28 percent within two years. Despite this, gen AI and agents sit near the bottom of priority lists (17th of 20 topics), highlighting the gap between perceived importance and actual value derived.

Growth leaders in the study use gen AI not to replace human creativity but to optimise media, personalise content at scale, enhance customer insights, detect trends, and accelerate experimentation, while keeping human talent central to strategy, the overarching story or message, and decision making.​

Why this matters for Australian B2B leaders

For B2B marketers in Australia, especially across heavy industry, logistics, infrastructure, and complex services, the report offers both validation and a challenge. Validation, because branding, budget rigour, data privacy, authenticity, employer branding, marketing ROI, sales alignment, CX integration, agile working, and data-driven marketing are already key in meaningful marketing discussions. 

The challenge lies in pursuing two concurrent goals: reinforcing brand trust and emotional connection during turbulent times while boldly embracing generative AI to enhance speed, effectiveness, and personalised experiences. Marketers who excel in both areas, mastering the basics and leveraging new tools effectively, will cultivate stronger brands and elevate modern B2B marketing initiatives.

If this resonates and you want help translating these insights into your own strategy - book a call.