The new mandate for CMOs is clear: creativity must deliver growth

The next big growth lever isn't hiding in the finance department. It's creativity, and it's reshaping the role of the CMO while giving marketing a bigger voice in the boardroom.

For a long time, creativity was marketing’s leap of faith, a seemingly intangible quality executives instinctively valued but struggled to measure. But as boards demand harder evidence of return on investment, a growing body of research suggests creativity isn’t simply good for brands, it’s good for business.  

Recent research conducted by Interbrand, in partnership with LIONS (owner of Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity) analyzed five years of performance data from 50 publicly traded companies that consistently ranked among Cannes Lions’ most awarded businesses. The study found that creativity has a significant impact, with companies seeing a 2.7% increase in profitability and a 4.7% rise in market capitalization in the year following the award. 

“This idea that creativity can drive growth has never been more relevant than it is today,” Simon Cook, CEO of LIONS, tells Fortune. “We’re operating in an environment defined by constant disruption, accelerated technological change and increasing pressure on businesses to find new sources of growth. It is becoming one of the few remaining competitive advantages that organizations can truly own.” 

Advances in data are helping make that case, allowing companies to better understand the relationship between creative quality and commercial outcomes, from revenue growth to return on investment.  

The trend is emerging even in industries not traditionally associated with creativity. In B2B, for example, brands are moving beyond purely functional messaging toward more emotionally resonant approaches. “That shift is delivering stronger differentiation and commercial impact, because buyers are still human beings making decisions based on trust and connection,” Cook says. 

The stakes are particularly high in the current climate, where periods of uncertainty often encourage organizations to focus on optimization and short-term performance. But Cook warns that cutting brand investment leads to “sameness” and can come at a cost, through weaker differentiation, reduced pricing power, and declining customer loyalty. “Creativity should be viewed as an investment rather than a risk,” he says.  

Creativity as a business case 

This year, the brewing giant, AB InBev, became the first company in Cannes Lions history to earn Creative Marketer of the Year three times, while continuing to deliver strong commercial growth. 

For Marcel Marcondes, AB InBev’s global chief marketing officer, creativity is a business strategy rather than a communications strategy. “We use creativity to solve real consumer and business problems, build brands people love, and create experiences that drive measurable results,” he tells Fortune. 

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AB InBev Ranking on Fortune 500  

In the first quarter of 2026, AB InBev posted record revenues. Michelob ULTRA remains the top-selling beer by volume in the U.S., while Corona continues to deliver double-digit global growth, alongside strong momentum across the company’s no-alcohol and Beyond Beer portfolios. 

The use of AI in creative work has been a matter of debate. But for Marcondes, technology, including AI, is a key enabler of the team’s creative work. ‘It helps us move faster, more efficiently, and more effectively, while also helping us better understand consumers so we can focus on the “so what?”—the insights and actions that drive growth. That’s why we embrace it all. We never say, ‘let’s talk about AI’, We say, ‘let’s talk about results.’”  

The rise of the growth CMO 

The changing economics of creativity is reshaping the role of the chief marketing officer. A decade ago, CMOs were often brought into the conversation after business strategy had already been set. Today, they are increasingly expected to help define it, connecting consumer insights, innovation, technology, and brand strategy to broader business objectives. 

“It’s not just about making campaigns anymore,” says Marcondes. “CMOs help shape innovation, experiences, and culture while building the creative capabilities that enable long-term growth.” 

Brand-building remains central to the role, he says, but the bigger challenge is ensuring creativity is embedded across the organization, influencing everything from product innovation to customer experience. 

Cook sees the same shift playing out across industries. “The most effective CMOs are helping shape the growth strategy itself,” he says. That evolution demands a different skill set. “Today, marketing leaders must be fluent in both creative ambition and commercial performance, translating bold ideas into the language of revenue growth, market share, and profitability.” 

Success also depends on leadership. The most effective CMOs, Cook argues, “foster cultures that reward curiosity, encourage experimentation, challenge conventional thinking, and build cultures where employees feel empowered to contribute ideas.”

As the evidence linking creativity to commercial performance continues to grow, so too does marketing’s influence in the boardroom. The companies seeing the strongest results will be those where CMOs have evolved from brand stewards into growth leaders.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com