Marketing leaders, business executives and communications experts have called for a redefinition of the Chief Marketing Officer’s role, urging marketers to move beyond traditional brand management and focus on enterprise leadership, business growth and value creation.
The call was made on Thursday at the CMO Circle held at The Wheatbaker Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos, under the theme, “The C-Suite Mandate: Talent Density and Marketing Leadership.” The session, chaired by Lolu Akinwunmi and Iquo Ukoh, brought together senior executives to examine the future of marketing leadership, talent development and the evolving expectations of marketing professionals.
Speaking at the event, the Business Executive Officer, Nestlé Pure Life and Premium Beverages, Nigeria and West Africa, Olutayo Olatuji, said the role of the CMO has evolved in response to changing business realities.
According to him, while marketers traditionally focused on brand equity, market share and consumer awareness, they must now demonstrate how their activities contribute to shareholder value and overall business growth. “When consumers buy, they don’t buy the marketing department; they buy the business,” Olatuji said.
He added that modern CMOs must pay greater attention to operational performance, product availability, talent development and enterprise-wide decision-making to remain relevant within their organisations. “The role of a CMO has evolved and should continue to evolve. Marketers should be interested in the wider business, not just marketing activities,” he stated.
An international marketing executive from India noted that one of the profession’s biggest challenges is the absence of a shared understanding of what constitutes effective marketing. “The marketing director is perhaps the only person in the boardroom whose expertise is not fully understood by others,” he said.
According to him, marketing professionals often disagree on what defines good marketing, making it more difficult for them to establish authority within executive leadership teams.
He observed that rapid changes in media, technology and consumer engagement have fragmented the profession, leading many practitioners to specialise in channels and tools rather than broader business strategy and outcomes.
Participants also expressed concern over the gradual transfer of traditional marketing responsibilities to operational and commercial teams, warning that the profession risks losing strategic relevance if it fails to strengthen leadership capacity and talent development.
To address the challenge, organisers announced plans to launch a CMO Index in partnership with Lagos Business School to provide industry benchmarks and support the development of marketing leadership in Nigeria.
Following the CMO Circle, attention shifted to the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, where experts discussed the opportunities and risks associated with artificial intelligence in marketing.
Panellists agreed that AI has significantly improved consumer targeting and engagement by enabling brands to better understand user behaviour and deliver more personalised content.
According to them, AI-powered recommendation systems have enhanced marketing efficiency and contributed to business growth by helping brands connect consumers with products and services that align with their interests.
However, the experts cautioned against the misuse of consumer data, stressing the need for ethical standards and responsible deployment of AI-driven insights. “We need to be responsible in how we use the insights we have rather than exploiting the information,” one panellist said.
The discussion also highlighted the emotional dimension of marketing, particularly for lifestyle and premium brands. A panellist argued that AI cannot replace the human connection that drives loyalty and brand affinity.
“Consumers are not just buying products; they are buying a mood, an identity and a lifestyle,” the expert said.
The panellists agreed that while AI can enhance engagement and efficiency, it should complement—not replace—human creativity, storytelling and relationship-building.
Concerns about declining public trust and the rapid spread of misinformation also featured prominently during the conference.
The Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of TVC Communications, Victoria Ajayi, described the situation as a growing trust crisis, arguing that the challenge in today’s digital environment is no longer access to information but confidence in its credibility.
“We do not have an information problem; what we have is a trust problem,” Ajayi said.
She explained that the speed of information dissemination now allows false narratives to gain traction before they can be verified, creating an environment where accuracy is often sacrificed.
Ajayi further warned that artificial intelligence is making the situation more complex by enabling the creation of highly convincing but misleading content. “The same tools that can illuminate the truth can also manufacture deception,” she said.
Other speakers echoed concerns about overreliance on AI, its influence on human behaviour and the growing risks surrounding data privacy.
Despite these concerns, stakeholders acknowledged that AI has significantly improved marketing effectiveness and consumer targeting. They, however, maintained that technology cannot replace the human connection required to build trust and lasting relationships.
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