CMO Study 2025 shows: Marketing fails due to structures, not budget

Marketing is fighting for its role as a strategic driver in the company. With the new "CMO Study 2025: How Marketing Reclaims Influence" (https://www.evergreen.media/ratgeber/cmo-studie-2025/), Evergreen Media, in collaboration with INNOFACT, presents a representative study that identifies the causes of the loss of influence and describes practical solutions. The white paper offers decision-makers well-founded data and recommendations for action for more impact and budget sovereignty in the company.

Marketing loses influence because it is not anchored in the corporate strategy

The CMO Study 2025 is based on a survey of 548 decision-makers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The comparison of corporate and marketing goals clearly shows how weakly marketing is anchored in the corporate strategy. 36% of companies cite growth as a key objective, while 25% of marketing managers prioritize increasing sales. What appears consistent at first glance turns out to be a fallacy. This is because there are massive gaps between corporate and marketing objectives at the following target levels.

The central weakness of many marketing organizations

The study shows that many marketing organizations are structurally set up incorrectly: Objectives are often derived from measures instead of directly from the corporate strategy. This leads to measures without effect. 47% of those surveyed therefore see strategies without a concrete project link as the most serious challenge. What is missing is a binding system that translates corporate goals into clear, operational marketing measures.

Budget allocation must not be the result of negotiations

55% of decision-makers would be prepared in principle to release additional marketing budgets - but the funds remain unchanged as long as it is not clear how the marketing measures contribute to the company's objectives. 39% of respondents see this verifiability as the biggest challenge in their company. Budget allocation should be rethought. Instead of allocating budgets historically or according to the volume of the respective department, a clear logic is needed: the measures themselves must justify their budget by making a measurable contribution to the corporate objective.

Commentary by Alexander Rus, Evergreen Media

Alexander Rus, founder and managing director of Evergreen Media, is convinced that CMOs need to fundamentally rethink their role:

Marketing doesn't have a resource problem, it has a structure and connectivity problem. Budgets are stagnating, expectations are rising - but the real obstacle is the lack of integration with the corporate strategy. Many CMOs achieve success, but this is not recognized as a contribution to business success because they do not speak the language of the board. For 2026, this means moving away from being a reactive campaign manager and towards being an orchestrator of corporate logic. Successful CMOs are those who bring marketing back into the control center. With a clear target cascade, reliable metrics, comprehensible budget logic and partners who help shape the process from the outset.

By publishing this study, we want to contribute to the discussion about the role and influence of marketing in companies. The full report with all data and detailed results is available on our landing page for the CMO Study 2025 (https://www.evergreen.media/ratgeber/cmo-studie-2025/). For queries, images and graphics or further information, please get in touch with our press contact Katharina Scheschy (presse@evergreen.media).

Evergreen Media AR GmbH
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Frau Katharina Scheschy

presse@evergreen.media

Evergreen Media� is an international digital growth consultancy specializing in SEO, content marketing and digital PR. We help companies adapt their digital brands to changing market conditions, unlock potential and drive growth.

With data-based strategies and a deep understanding of user needs, we identify the key levers for long-term success. We coordinate teams and support them during implementation to create lasting competitive advantages.

We regularly share our knowledge on the largest German-language YouTube channel on SEO and content marketing, where we provide practical know-how for digital growth on a weekly basis.

This release was published on openPR.