How modern CMOs drive strategic impact in the age of AI

In today’s hyper-competitive B2B landscape, marketing leaders face a paradox: The pace of change is relentless, yet the need for clarity and purpose has never been greater. With artificial intelligence (AI) reshaping every facet of business, the imperative is not just to keep up but to lead the charge.  

To navigate this complexity, we must lead with vision and innovate with intent—focusing our efforts, aligning teams, and making decisions that drive the business forward. Below is a no-nonsense framework for CMOs to fulfill our mandate of not just keeping up with the market but shaping what comes next. 

VISION IS THE STRATEGIC COMPASS  

Vision is more than a lofty statement on a corporate website. It’s a strategic compass that sets a clear direction for decision-making, inspires bold thinking, and aligns marketing with broader business transformation goals.  

AI is not just a technology trend—it’s a strategic lens through which visionary CMOs anticipate market shifts, personalize at scale, and create new sources of value. Vision encourages us to look beyond quarterly targets and toward long-term value creation. It’s not just about where we’re going, but why our destination matters. Peter Drucker’s insight that “the best way to predict the future is to create it” reminds us that visionary marketers don’t wait for trends to unfold. They shape them—often by harnessing AI’s predictive and generative power. 

Consider Microsoft’s transformation under the leadership of CEO Satya Nadella. By repositioning itself as a cloud-first, AI-forward enterprise leader, Microsoft’s market cap soared from ~$300 billion in 2014 to over $3 trillion by 2024. Unified branding, thought leadership, and marketing aligned with product vision—and a bold embrace of AI—were instrumental in this journey. The lesson is clear: A rebrand aligned with long-term strategy and market trends, especially those driven by AI, can unlock massive shareholder value. 

INNOVATION IS THE DIFFERENTIATION ENGINE 

In saturated markets, differentiation is survival. Innovation allows us to stand out, not just in what we offer, but in how we engage, deliver, and evolve. AI-driven insights empower marketers to test, learn, and iterate at unprecedented speed, turning data into differentiated experiences that set brands apart. Whether through product, experience, or brand voice, marketers must respond to evolving customer needs and emerging technologies. The challenge is to build a unique voice, foster a culture of innovation, and lead with empathy and agility, even while navigating internal barriers like silos and legacy systems. Steve Jobs captured this imperative when he said, “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” For marketing leaders, innovation—now supercharged by AI—is the engine that powers strategic impact. 

Apple’s journey from the dot-com bust to unprecedented growth is a testament to visionary leadership and relentless innovation. Strategic repositioning built a premium brand and loyal customer base. The transformation wasn’t just about technology. It was about storytelling, experience, and strategic marketing, now increasingly powered by AI-driven personalization and creative tools. When marketing aligns with product innovation, long-term strategy, and the intelligent application of AI, it can redefine industries and drive valuation from billions to trillions. 

VISION MEETS INNOVATION 

At onsemi, our own transformation showcases how aligning vision and innovation can redefine a brand. Once known primarily as a reliable supplier, onsemi has emerged as a high-value technology leader in intelligent power and sensing. Under CEO Hassane El-Khoury, our identity evolved from traditional, engineering-focused to forward-looking, innovation-driven. Marketing played a pivotal role in translating the strategic vision into measurable results. 

Marketing leaders operationalize and bring vision and innovation to life with a strategic framework that tightly aligns marketing with business goals. Today, they must put AI at the center of every pillar. The backbone of a modern AI-centered marketing engine includes these eight fundamentals: 

• Brand purpose and positioning: AI-powered sentiment analysis and competitive intelligence inform meaningful, consistent messaging. 

• Market and audience intelligence: AI enables dynamic segmentation, lookalike modeling, and predictive analytics for personalization at scale. 

• AI-powered demand generation: Generative AI creates dynamic content, while predictive models fuel pipeline growth through targeted outreach. 

• Optimized digital experiences and customer intelligence platforms: AI-driven personalization engines and recommendation systems ensure every interaction is seamless and insight-rich. 

• Unified messaging architecture: AI helps keep the story coherent across channels, adapting in real time to audience feedback. 

• Innovative tactics: Agile marketing models, strategic AI personalization, and customer journey mapping empower teams to iterate quickly and adapt to change. 

• Customer experience: A relentless focus on customer experience transforms every touchpoint into a strategic advantage. AI tools can anticipate needs and deliver value before customers even ask. 

• Cross-functional collaboration: Marketing collaborating with sales, product engineering, and corporate strategy ensures that marketing is at the table, shaping the future rather than just communicating it. 

Taken together, these elements create a marketing engine that drives growth, relevance, and long-term impact. 

LEAD WITH VISION, EXECUTE WITH INNOVATION, DELIVER WITH IMPACT—POWERED BY AI 

If there’s one takeaway for marketing executives, it’s this: Lead with vision, execute with innovation, and deliver with impact. Vision inspires teams and aligns stakeholders. Innovation—now inseparable from AI—keeps us relevant and unlocks differentiated value. Impact is measured not just in impressions and engagement, but in pipeline, revenue, and strategic growth. When we connect vision to execution, harness the power of AI, and measure our impact, we elevate marketing from a function to a force. 

The future belongs to those who shape it. Let’s continue to lead with clarity, execute with creativity, and deliver with purpose—embracing AI as a core leadership competency for the next era of marketing. 

Felicity Carson is chief marketing officer at onsemi.