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Align marketing with business outcomes for growth and recognition
Though technology marketers in organizations with $100 million or more in revenue reported a 6% average increase in marketing budgets in 2024, tech CMOs have a lot of challenges to tackle with these dollars: more competition in the marketplace, increased difficulty tracking the journey of the tech buyer and a struggle to defend investments. In 2025, driving brand awareness and market differentiation will prove critical.
But results of these initiatives can be difficult to measure, and tech CMOs can’t focus primarily on tactical marketing-qualified-lead (MQL)-focused marketing metrics to highlight how marketing investments are driving broader growth for the organization. Marketing strategy and resulting budget decisions (across resources, programs and technology) must be seen to have a direct impact on the success of the business as a whole — not just marketing objectives.
Invest wisely, measure impact and architect for growth
Consider how these trends will drive your priorities in 2025:
Trend No. 1: Direct brand spend toward differentiation
Forty-nine percent of all organizations expect improved brand impact over the next 12 months, and growth companies, whose investments target differentiation in the marketplace, have increased brand spend more than nongrowth organizations. Growth organizations are focused on clearly communicating the value of their offerings and creating strong connections to their full portfolios. On the flip side, nongrowth companies struggle to justify brand investments, which too often focus on talent retention over differentiation.
Trend No. 2: Measure and prove marketing impact
Tech CMOs are under pressure to prove their impact and overall value, but a majority don’t feel the business recognizes marketing’s contributions. In fact, 96% of B2B CMOs believe they’re not getting enough credit for year-over-year profit margin growth, revenue growth or acquiring new customers.
Meanwhile, the focus on MQLs over metrics that better showcase the impact of marketing continues to derail marketing efforts. Prioritize alignment with business outcomes first, and then judge the best tactics and related metrics to deliver against those outcomes.
Trend No. 3: Organize and upskill teams to drive growth
Today’s marketing function demands flexible skill sets — especially around data and analytics — that evolve alongside the market. Growth companies tend to create centers of excellence (COEs) across key areas to increase specialization and ensure consistency while optimizing resources. High-performing organizations also focus on strategic thinking, content creation and collaboration.
As GenAI evolves to play a larger role in the offerings of many organizations, tech CMOs should build those skill sets within the function. Though growth companies are in the lead when it comes to GenAI, with 71% using the technology, it’s important that all organizations consider making their talent AI and technologically proficient.
Trend No. 4: Drive revenue through shared marketing and sales metrics
In an era where cross-functional collaboration is key, tech CMOs must champion the alignment of marketing and sales metrics. Organizations that prioritize cross-functional alignment of metrics nearly triple the likelihood of exceeding new customer acquisition targets. By establishing shared performance indicators and integrating dashboards that offer real-time insights, companies can ensure that every marketing initiative is directly tied to revenue outcomes. The strategic integration not only improves forecasting and accountability but also ensures that both teams are laser-focused on driving growth.
How the 2025 trends will influence tech CMO priorities
To effectively respond to these 2025 trends, invest in brand with an eye on differentiation, rethink marketing metrics to reflect the impact of the function on the broader goals of the organization, and ensure the team has the right skill sets in place.
FAQ on 2025 trends for tech CMOs
What are the key priorities for tech CMOs in 2025?
In 2025, tech CMOs should focus on:
Effectively creating, driving and measuring competitive brand differentiation
Continually proving the impact of marketing relative to business strategy and to key stakeholders
Architecting the marketing function to drive sustainable growth amid changing market dynamics
Aligning marketing and sales through shared metrics to drive revenue growth and enhance customer acquisition
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