78% of chief marketing officers (CMOs) feel that the silo-ed agency model is no longer fit for purpose while 82% want to see agencies seamlessly combine capabilities to deliver new and innovative solutions, as per a survey of the CMOs conducted by dentsu Creative, in the UK, US, China, India, and Brazil. 

This survey showed that today’s CMOs don’t want creativity to stay in its swim lane, they want to see creativity across every aspect of their business-across media and CXM just as much as campaigns and content, Fred Levron, global chief creative officer, dentsu International, said. “Clients are asking agencies to create culture, to invent new possibilities, to help reshape society,” he added.

As per the survey, 63% of CMOs said that brands need to create rather than borrow from culture. Moreover, the report mentioned that a majority, at 84%, believe that to connect with the younger generations, brands now need to ‘entertain and engage’. This is to earn attention through entertainment properties or rich virtual experiences. Most importantly, they believe that connecting the right diverse talent around their challenges, regardless of silos or geographies is the only way to deliver work that will resonate in culture.  

This study confirms that today’s CMOs believe in the power of modern creativity to engage a new generation of consumers, Patricia McDonald, chief strategy officer, dentsu Creative, stated. “They are asking their agency partners to think beyond legacy silos and bring the right talent around the table to deliver ideas big enough to live anywhere, bold enough to chart new executional territory and rich enough to make personal connections with millions of customers around the world,” she highlighted.

As per the report, the CMOs agree that in today’s connected world, traditional scale is no longer the advantage it once was. It claims that 85% of clients agree that there should be a more intelligent way to scale for a sustainable world, while 76% simply want their agencies to connect the right talent around the right brief, regardless of where it sits.


The report identified and unpacked eight key themes, where firstly the report stated that clients today reject artificial divisions and binaries. 73% of marketers agree that the modern comms landscape, and by extension their roles, have become increasingly complex. Secondly, the report mentions that investment in gaming, virtual technologies and social commerce continues as clients believe the online space is where their most meaningful customer interactions take place.  84% agree that an online store should feel as immersive as an offline store. In the report, 84% agree that modern creativity creates culture and doesn’t just interrupt it. Moreover, 76% want agencies to connect the right talent around the right brief, wherever it sits in their networks. 84% of respondents are implementing or have implemented Entertainment platforms and IP as a strategy, the report added. 82% want to see creative solutions across media, commerce and customer relationship management (CRM), just as much as in campaigns. 84% agree that real change is only possible through sustained collaboration between businesses, consumers and policymakers and 95% agree that it is a brand’s responsibility to change behaviour and change society, the report added.

Also Read: Three in five are likely to try a product based on influencers’ recommendation: Report
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