The irreplaceable human-to-human insight that helps us feel seen, the niche interests that unlock innovation are more powerful than ever.
What scales most effectively isn’t necessarily the broadest insight but the freshest and most authentic.
The Dentsu Creative 2025 CMO Report finds that 86% of global CMOs believe hearing from real customers is more important than ever in an AI-driven world, with 41% expressing strong agreement. Overall agreement rises to 94% in China and 90% in South Africa.
Meanwhile 86% agree that “Great strategists start with deeply human insights, then find the universal truth”, rising to 96% in China and 95% in India, and 87% that “modern strategy will require more creativity, empathy and humanity”. 86% of respondents agree “empathetic human truth will become more important in a world of perfect information” rising to 96% in China.
Dentsu Creative campaign for Crayola, “Campaign for Creativity”, tapped into emotive individual stories to remind the world of the power of creativity. The campaign used social and earned media to reunite adults with their childhood artwork, sparking a national conversation about the importance of creativity and generating over 6B impressions.
Micro human insights - small, individual quirks and observations - are becoming more and more valuable in creating work with edge, heart and uniqueness - which is precisely the work that spreads and scales.
AI is undoubtedly an ally in this work, with 54% of global CMOs using it to predict changes in customer behaviors. Interestingly, however, social listening and monitoring has emerged as the number one strategy for staying ahead of evolving consumer behaviors, embraced by 62% of CMOs, up 4 percentage points versus 2024.
Engaging with fandoms as part of their audience/targeting strategy is the fastest growing source of intelligence on emerging consumer behaviors referenced by CMOs year on year, at 53%, up 10 percentage points year on year.
Anticipating trends however, is a significant challenge: 89% of Global CMOs agree that “Being increasingly expected to use data to not only provide insight on consumers today, but also predict future products and propositions” is a challenge for their marketing efforts. CMOs also identify “obtaining the right data to make timely and appropriate decisions (e.g., market intelligence and market signals information)” as the most significant external challenge they expect to face over the next 6-12 months.
OUR WORK...
V ME 50: BRING ON THE CHICKEN & TISSUE CRAZE!
ADVERTISER/BRAND: YUM CHINA/KFC
CREATIVE AGENCY: DENTSU CREATIVE
Under mounting work stress and with slim paychecks offering scant comfort, young professionals turn into sly “thieves”—slipping away for stolen breaks, pinching water and power, grabbing tissues, and sneaking extra napkins at mealtime.
KFC Crazy Thursday is their official escape valve—a weekly dose of unleashed fun where the perfect partner awaits, inviting them to go all out and lose themselves in shared excitement.
Partnering with tissue titan C&S collide, KFC serves up a fresh combo that frees the hustle—finger-licking chicken and tissue freedom in one—fueling the electric energy of the “Crazy Thursday Squad.”
READ MORE: V Me 50: Bring on the Chicken & Tissue Craze! | WORKS
This article is selected from Dentsu Creative’s 2025 CMO Report, “Agents of Reinvention: Marketing at the Intersection of AI and Human Ingenuity.”
Drawing on perspectives from over 1,950 senior marketing leaders across 14 markets, the report identifies 10 key themes set to shape marketing in 2025—from anticipating the algorithm and investing in intimacy, to building trust and cultivating taste in the age of Agentic AI.
Explore actionable strategies to meet these challenges and drive growth, while balancing success in both culture and commerce.
To access the full 2025 CMO Report, visit the Dentsu Creative global website:
www.dentsucreative.com/news/dentsu-creative-cmo-report-2025
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