       89% of CMOs are using Generative AI and 78% are leveraging traditional AI. However, consumer comfort with GenAI use is low.
       A polarised landscape: 50% of UK consumers want or expect brands to take a public stand on social/political issues and 50% do not.
       96% of CMOs see the environment/sustainability as important components of their brand’s identity and 95% think the same about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
       CMOs are treading carefully: 24% of CMOs say the prospect of brand backlash is always on their mind when planning campaigns.
       CMOs who use market research as a measurement tool are much more likely than those who do not to have stakeholders that are fully invested in marketing (69% vs 45%).
       Censuswide surveyed 500 CMOs aged 25+ from a mix of company sizes in B2B and B2C and 2,001 nationally representative adults in the UK.

International market research consultancy, Censuswide has published the latest edition of The Voice of the UK CMO Report for 2025 exploring three key themes:
       AI
       Brand discovery, activism and backlash
       Budgets and measurement

Findings reveal that CMOs are embracing AI with open arms and integrating traditional and generative AI into marketing operations to streamline workflows and create marketing content at scale.

But the flipside is that consumers are less enthusiastic about AI, especially when AI is used for customer-facing content. While 58% of CMOs are using GenAI for social media content creation, a mere 38% of consumers are comfortable with brands using AI to do this. The research showed that consumers are almost twice as likely to have mixed feelings about AI (31%) than they are to be excited and optimistic (16%) about it.

The nation is also divided when it comes to brand activism – 50% of UK consumers want or expect brands to take a stand on social or political issues, but 50% do not. This leaves CMOs with another tightrope to walk where activism is expected by half of consumers but could also alienate the other half. It’s why understanding customers is so critical, for example younger generations in particular expect brands to take a stand on key social issues.

Brand ethics also influence B2B purchase decisions, with B2B professionals considering a company’s values when choosing partners. CMOs recognise this, with almost all CMOs (96%) seeing the environment & sustainability as important components of their brand’s identity as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) (95%), aligning their public stances with consumer priorities.

High percentages of CMOs are already finding attracting (71%) and retaining (61%) clients/customers challenging, and in a world where one misstep can cost cohorts of customers, CMOs are acutely aware of brand backlash when planning campaigns. 24% of CMOs say the prospect of brand backlash is always on their mind when planning campaigns.

As for how UK consumers discover new brands, social media now reigns supreme at 40%, followed by recommendations from friends and/or family (37%) and online searches (37%).

Naturally this is much higher amongst younger generations such as Gen Z and Millennials. In fact, only 2% of Gen Z do not use social media to engage with brands and just 5% of Millennials said the same.

When it comes to budgets and measurement, the report reveals a greater emphasis from CMOs on tracking and measuring success across multiple areas in marketing execution. Notably, the primary metric CMOs track has shifted from sales in 2024 (46%) to brand awareness in 2025 (62%).

Nicky Marks, Managing Director of Censuswide said:

“Our latest report is designed to give CMOs a clear picture of the current marketing landscape so they can benchmark their own strategies to help gain leadership support for their decision making.

“With so many balancing acts to perform, having a clear, data-backed view is vital for CMOs to navigate these challenging times. In fact, CMOs who use market research as a measurement tool are much more likely than those who do not to have stakeholders that are fully invested in marketing (69% vs 45%).

“The 2025 edition explores year-on-year changes, as well as introducing the consumer’s perspective and a deeper dive into brand activism.”

About Censuswide
Censuswide, is an international market research consultancy, part of AFO Group and headquartered in London. It conducts high-quality quantitative and qualitative research supporting strategy, communications and marketing teams across consumer, B2B, corporate and healthcare sectors.
Censuswide provides global reach through an extensive network of respondents to gather opinions and insights from a range of audiences. It adheres to the MRS Code of Conduct and ESOMAR principles and is a member of the British Polling Council, reinforcing its commitment to ethical research practices and data integrity.
For more information visit https://censuswide.com/

Methodology
Last year, Censuswide surveyed 500 CMOs aged 25+ between 25.06.2024-08.07.2024.
This year, Censuswide surveyed 500 CMOs aged 25+ between 25.06.2025-08.07.2025.
This year, Censuswide also surveyed 2,001 nationally representative adults in the UK between 18.06.2025-20.06.2025.
Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society, follows the MRS code of conduct and ESOMAR principles, and is a member of the British Polling Council.
Read more about our methodology in the report.