Halvor Hauge leads Scale & Impact at Frontkom and works at the intersection of business, technology and marketing. Here he shares Frontkom's take of this year's CMO report: what the numbers mean, and what we think you should do about them.
First, an important clarification: the numbers in this article are not ours. The Nordic CMO Survey 2026 was conducted by Synlighet, in collaboration with the trade media Kampanje, Resumé and Dansk Markedsføring, based on responses from 676 Nordic marketing leaders. What we do here is interpret the findings and share our recommendations for the way forward. The credit for the survey itself and the data collection belongs to Synlighet and their partners.
The report paints a market in motion: geopolitical unrest, AI as both an opportunity and a pressure, and a clear divide between those who treat marketing as a cost and those who use it as an engine for growth. The question we ask ourselves is simple: what does this mean in practice for you who actually have to deliver?
The big picture: from economic fear to a fight for the market
The fear of recession has fallen sharply, from 61 % in 2023 to 25 % this year. At the same time, geopolitical uncertainty tops the list of concerns (51 %), most pronounced in Sweden (60 %) and Denmark (57 %), while Norwegian marketing leaders are still most worried about costs and inflation (52 %).
Our interpretation: the uncertainty has not disappeared, it has moved. Companies are shifting from waiting out a crisis to manoeuvring offensively in a market with new rules and new competitors. That places different demands on marketing. It has to be justified continuously, not only when things are going well.
Fewer are hiring, more are bringing in outside help
Only 29 % plan to hire in the marketing department, a steady decline since 2023. At the same time, more and more choose agencies over their own headcount, especially the B2C companies. The report describes a shift toward more flexible organisation, where specialist expertise is increasingly brought in as needed.
Our interpretation: this is not about replacing internal teams, but about using your resources where they matter most. The report shows that those who succeed often own the strategy and their own digital surfaces themselves, and combine that with external partners for media buying and creative execution. It is a model we recognise well, and believe in.
AI is everywhere, but maturity lags behind
97 % now use AI in their marketing work. But 79 % do so on their own initiative, not driven by the company, and data quality is highlighted as a bigger barrier than both budget and tools. Many experience pressure from management for quick cost cuts as a result of AI, and that pressure is clearly highest where management understands marketing the least.
Our interpretation: AI does not deliver results on its own. It is never better than the data and the processes it is built on. The head start of the best is not about having the newest tools, but about integrating them on a tidy foundation, and about shifting the conversation from cuts to capacity.
The real story: what the 23 % who succeed do differently
The report defines “companies that succeed” as those that both experience growth and to a large degree achieve their desired results with marketing. That is 23 % of the sample. Across the findings, they stand out on five points:
1. They measure more broadly. While only 42 % of all companies track market share, 56 % of the winners do. They combine sales figures with brand metrics, and thereby avoid the classic “performance trap”.
2. They balance brand and performance. 76 % of the growth companies are strong at brand building, and at the same time they deliver well on leads and sales. It is the ability to master both that defines them.
3. They have management on board. Where management understands the effect of marketing, almost half have increased the budget, and only 17 % have cut it. Where that understanding is missing, the picture is turned upside down.
4. They are level-headed about AI. They do not see the technology as a shortcut to cuts, but as a tool for speed and precision, and they connect it to the heavier systems, not just text production.
5. They have a clear direction. 81 % of those who succeed have a clear marketing strategy and plan for the year, compared with 62 % of the others. That makes it far easier to prioritise, and to say no to anything that does not add value.
Our assessment: four steps we think you should take now
The numbers above are Synlighet's. The recommendations below are ours, based on how we work with clients every day.
1. Close the analysis gap. The biggest weak point in the report is measurement: only 34 % feel they are good at using data to make decisions. Start by mapping what you actually measure along the customer journey, and prioritise two new metrics, for example brand awareness and market share. This is at the core of our insight and analysis work.
2. Build AI on a tidy foundation. Before you invest in more tools: clean up your data. For Reis Nordland we cut customer enquiries by 55 % with the help of artificial intelligence, not because the technology was magic, but because it was put into a well-considered solution on a solid data foundation.
3. Let brand and performance work together. The winners do not choose either/or. A clear brand makes paid traffic more effective, and the data gives the brand direction. That is the whole thinking behind the way we work with brand and growth.
4. Take ownership of your own surfaces. The report shows that the best own the website and the strategy themselves, and bring in help for media buying and creative execution. If the website has become a bottleneck for growth, that is often where we start, with websites and applications built to convert.
Those who win do not treat marketing as a cost to be cut, but as an investment to be managed.
Would you like to know where your own marketing stands, and where the concrete opportunities lie? Get in touch with us, and we will look at it together.
Source: The Nordic CMO Survey 2026, conducted by Synlighet in collaboration with Kampanje, Resumé and Dansk Markedsføring (676 Nordic marketing leaders). The interpretations and recommendations in this article are Frontkom's own.
