According to our latest global CMO survey, 91% of CMOs agree that in the future, brand building will be a partnership between brands, creators and platforms (+14 percentage points year on year). This figure rises to 98% in China and Australia, and even in markets who are less certain (the UK, France and Brazil) reaches 84%.
Communities and fandoms are seen as key drivers of scale and engagement in a post-broadcast world.
87% of CMOs worldwide agree “engaging communities is a powerful lever to scale brand impact”. 88% agree “I want ideas that start social and community first, rather than advertising ideas activated on social”.
“Accessing existing fandoms to harness their power to reach new audiences” is seen as the number one opportunity for brands on social media, while 87% agree “I am interested in targeting my customers through their passions and communities, not just demographic or purchase behaviors.”
82% however worry about giving up control amidst the excitement of collaboration and co-creation, up 22 percentage points YOY, while 48% cited “Difficulty in owning the customer relationship in a world where third parties (e.g., retailers, social & tech platforms, etc.) seem to hold all the power” as one of the top three external challenges they expect to face in the next 6-12 months.
Maintaining control and brand integrity in a world where brands must be co-created or disappear demands a new approach to defining and dimensionalizing brands. 44% of CMOs agree that a lack of clarity around their brand proposition prevents them from an agile response to an unpredictable environment and is a barrier to success, while 86% of CMOs agree that “Today’s brands need powerful stories that can be told and passed on by any number of collaborators and co-creators.”
Modern brand architectures must inform and be informed by the conversations a brand is part of, the communities it engages, and the cultural spaces it shows up in.
At Dentsu Creative we call this The Connecting Idea; a brand idea that connects brands to culture, businesses to customers and communities to one another.
The Connecting Idea is informed by cultural and community intelligence, with a compelling story at the heart that can be spread and shared. Most importantly, it has powerful behavioral hooks that enable communities, creators and culture makers to co-create the brand story without damaging or diluting it: starting with a point of view not only on what the brand stands for, but who it stands for. Not just brand values, but brand behaviors and associations.
OUR WORK…
2,000 KFC BILLBOARDS HIT THE STREETS
ADVERTISER/BRAND: YUM CHINA/KFC
CREATIVE AGENCY: DENTSU CREATIVE
With smooth weekday commutes and weekend city explorations powered by electric scooters, mobility is more than transport—it’s a lifestyle. KFC harnessed this “memes-meet-madness” vibe to flip scooters into show-stopping rides, turning fans into proud, walking billboards radiating swagger.
Partnering with Tailg, KFC unveiled the year’s hottest surprise—2,000 exclusive, limited-edition scooters that sparked a viral sensation with 800 million online impressions. Once again, KFC set off a Gen Z cultural movement—turning 2,000 lucky winners into “wildcard ambassadors” and transforming city streets into a moving showcase of the brand.
READ MORE: 2,000 KFC Billboards Hit the Streets | 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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