The A-shaped CMO: A new standard for marketing
Marketing leaders are facing a transformation crisis in the AI era – and inertia is stalling progress. It's time to rewrite the framework of the CMO.
Welcome to the A-shaped CMO
Historically, the “brand vs. demand” narrative has dominated the marketing debate. But there has always been a missing element: the operational layer. Now, AI is forcing us to embrace a long-overdue revision. The A-shaped CMO is the new framework for unlocking the full potential and ROI of AI at scale.
The cost of AI inertia
Implementing AI in marketing is causing significant challenges for CMOs.
51
%
of CMOs say CEOs’ expectations for AI in marketing are too high
77
%
of CMOs expect agentic AI will require redesigning the marketing team structure
53
%
of CMOs believe the complexity of implementing agentic AI outweighs the potential benefits
What is the A-shaped CMO?
The A-shaped CMO will bring together the new skills needed for success in the age of agentic marketing. But what are the three pillars involved?
The left pillar: Data & performance
This focuses on the “science” of growth – the technical mastery and analytical thinking that drive success across the full funnel
The right pillar: Creative & brand
This represents the CMO’s creative, emotional, and storytelling skills, used to build the heart of the brand.
The crossbar: Operational excellence
This is the connective tissue that brings the two pillars together, enabling the CMO to direct a high-performing hybrid marketing team comprising humans and agents.
Become an A-shaped CMO
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The A-shaped CMO framework recognises that operational excellence is now the critical layer connecting disciplines. As AI continues to reshape our industry, marketers who can orchestrate people and systems will create long-term value.
Becky MoffatCMO, HSBC
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FAQs
The A-shaped CMO is a new blueprint for marketing leadership in the age of agentic AI. It’s an evolution of the outdated “T-shaped marketer” model, which was defined by broad baseline knowledge and a single, deep specialisation. The A-shaped CMO, on the other hand, comprises two foundational pillars of mastery: the left pillar represents data-driven performance, and the right pillar represents human emotion and storytelling. The two are united by a crossbar of operational excellence that turns potential into growth.
The A-shaped CMO helps transform marketing into an enterprise growth engine. By bridging the gap between the science and art of marketing, the framework helps CMOs deliver on key business outcomes, including:
- AI excellence: CMOs can critically assess AI-generated work to ensure rigorous quality control, ethical implementation, and brand consistency across end-to-end workflows
- Enhanced customer experience: By combining data analytics with creative strategy and technology, CMOs can craft hyper-personalised and seamless customer journeys
Hybrid team mastery: The CMOs of tomorrow will lead unified workforces that seamlessly combine human talent with AI agents to maximise performance
The A-shaped CMO framework will demand an evolution of marketing teams. Roles, budgets, and ways of working will be updated to support a hybrid workforce where human professionals and AI agents handle the duties they’re best at. Today, CMOs see massive opportunities: 81% think it will enable their teams to shift focus from execution-heavy tasks to high-value strategic and creative work, while 85% believe it will liberate leadership to focus on brand innovation and market expansion.
This transition requires careful change management. Getting the agentic marketing function right – by defining where human judgement adds value and where AI agents should operate autonomously – is a core skill for CMOs to master. It’s this capability that will separate high-performing marketing teams from the rest.
CMOs must develop new capabilities to service the many functions and channels they look after. To succeed within an A-shaped framework, they will transition from specialised “doers” to master “orchestrators” who anchor their organisations with an enhanced skill stack, including:
- Human skills, such as strategic thinking, creative thinking, critical thinking, and ethical judgement
- Leadership skills, like leadership and stakeholder management, complex problem solving, and team management
- Core marketing skills, including digital marketing strategy with SEO/GEO, creative strategy, and customer experience
AI & data skills, such as data strategy and analysis, agentic AI use case design, and AI governance and quality control
Scaling from isolated pockets of AI implementation to A-shaped marketing leadership requires an agile approach. CMOs should focus on compounding the small wins rather than chasing high-risk, overnight transformations. Consider focusing on these best practices:
- Assess your own skills: You can’t architect a hybrid workforce using technology you haven't personally tested. CMOs must get hands-on to understand what agents can and cannot do.
- Run a short pilot: Don’t wait for a windfall budget to unlock your AI potential. Start by identifying a single, high-volume, repetitive workflow to automate and measure ROI signals within 60 to 90 days.
- Quantify marginal gains: It’s vital to prove value to convert sceptical C-suite stakeholders. Track, document, and publicise your team’s gains to unlock enterprise-scale investment.
Review roles and responsibilities: Redefine job descriptions to map where human oversight is critical and where autonomous agents should scale execution independently.