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WFA and Kantar have designed a playbook series to help take the framework and its levers from theory into practice for marketers. These case study-led voluntary guides are built on examples of what great marketing looks like when aligned with sustainable marketing practices and illustrate how leading marketers are tying sustainable marketing transformation to great business performance. They will help equip you with key principles to consider in your marketing organisation, tools on how to apply the thinking and best practice examples.

The Marketer of the Future initiative, conducted by WFA in partnership with Oxford, explores the evolving capabilities required for marketing teams to remain future-fit. The research, combining qualitative insight from senior marketing leaders with quantitative data from almost 600 marketing executives, identifies clear priorities for CMOs seeking to enhance their function’s capabilities and strategic impact.

At the heart of our findings is the Marketer of the Future Flywheel Framework, which defines five critical areas where high-performing marketing organisations excel:

1. Marketing Fundamentals+
2. Aligned Growth Strategy
3. Functional Integration
4. People & Technology
5. C-Suite Impact & Influence

The pursuit of these five drivers provides the clarity, the ability and the air cover for marketing teams to deliver tangible value and adapt at the speed of culture. It’s the marketing organisations that are prioritising and embedding these five elements that are outpacing their peers in terms of growth.

In partnership with Oxford, we conducted The Marketer of the Future initiative, which explores the evolving capabilities required for marketing teams to remain future-fit. The research, combining qualitative insight from senior marketing leaders with quantitative data from almost 600 marketing executives, identifies clear priorities for CMOs seeking to enhance their function’s capabilities and strategic impact.

What's in this report?

• Views on the challenges CMOs face
• CMO perspectives
• The skills required of the future marketer
• Insights on having a longer term, sustainable impact

Download our latest research Marketer of the Future:

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The group meets annually across the globe, including at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.

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The Insight Forum is chaired by Joel Renkema, Global Head of Insights, Inter IKEA Group.

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The Marketing Capability Forum is chaired by Pawan Kumar Marella, Vice-President, Strategic Growth Initiatives, Marketing Capabilities & Innovation Excellence at Unilever, and Jessica Douglass, Global Director, Marketing Culture & Capabilities at AB InBev.

The Media Forum is chaired by Mathias Chaillou, Chief Media Officer, L'Oréal.

The Sourcing Forum is co-chaired by Chris Kredo and Jennifer Mclachlan.

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The WFA Privacy & Tech Forum is a place for brand owners to discuss these challenges, with a focus on creating better interactions between brands and consumers in a digital world. As consumers become increasingly sceptical about the role of advertising in their digital lives, brands are facing increased regulatory scrutiny as data-driven marketing and other digital advertising techniques evolve.

The Privacy & Tech Forum aims to help brands address this decline in trust by building connections across sectors and between functions to seek solutions for digital governance which go beyond compliance to build and repair trust with consumers.

The Privacy & tech Forum is chaired by Jacqui Stephenson.

Since 1996, the Responsible Advertising and Children Programme (RAC) has brought together advertisers, agencies and the media at an international and European level to anticipate and understand societal and parental aspirations regarding responsible marketing communications and children. RAC brings together almost a thousand people globally with an interest and stake in the issue of marketing and children. The network is almost 400 strong in Europe, over 150 of whom come to our quarterly meetings in Brussels every year to address the issues of highest priority to brand owners.

RAC’s vision is to provide global leadership by championing good practices in marketing communications to children. This exercise is shaped by a continuous dialogue and engagement with policy-makers, society and parents.

RAC keeps members up to speed with latest developments, engages with policy-makers and other stakeholders on priority issues, identifies emerging trends and concerns, draws up potential industry and company solutions, monitors member activities helping them steer clear of potential problems and drives “beyond compliance” programmes which help to future-proof companies’ ability to connect with younger consumers.

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The community is open to WFA members only and is led by an AI Steer Team, bringing together a small group of senior WFA members from a range of sectors to help establish strategic priorities.

1. Foster unity within the region
   Knowledge exchange among senior marketers based in Asia to inspire and raise the bar among the client-side
   community.
2. Position Asia-Pacific as a global hub of innovation and best practices
   The world needs more Asia, home to many influential emerging marketing trends.
3. Translate global initiatives into regional and local pathways
   Adapt existing industry strategies to reflect Asia’s diverse cultural and market landscapes.
4. Upskill and reskill talent in the region
   Bridge the learning gap and empowering marketers across Asia to excel in their roles.

WFA's Framework for Positive Marketing Behaviours offers marketers a comprehensive and systematic approach to identifying opportunities and managing risk by mapping across 10 key issue areas:

Why the issue matters

To the CMO,  business, and current socio-economic environment.

What marketers need to do

The guiding principles and a suggestion of policies brands can implement based on best-in-class use cases from the world’s top brands.

Tools

Practical frameworks, guidelines and materials developed by WFA and global brand leaders.