From Volatility to Vision: How Marketing Leaders Can Regain Strategic Ground in H2

If the first half of 2025 taught marketing leaders anything, it's this: Performance alone won't carry the brand.

After navigating a volatile start to the year — marked by economic headwinds, shifting consumer behavior, and accelerating AI disruption — brand teams are emerging with a few bruises here and there, a growing sense of clarity, and an urgent need to recalibrate.

With expectations still sky-high and budgets staying right where they are, the question now is how to turn H1’s constraints into H2’s competitive edge.

Here’s what stood out — and what needs to change.

H1 Was Defined by Growth Mandates vs. Brand Integrity

What Stood Out: Through the first half of 2025, marketing leaders were asked to do more with less — again. This time, however, the balancing act was sharper.

Many leaned heavily into short-term performance marketing, often at the expense of long-term brand health. Even big spenders like Nike and Starbucks, who returned to splashy brand campaigns, faced criticism when results didn’t match expectations.

The Takeaway: Growth-at-all-costs isn't a sustainable strategy — especially when brand equity is treated as expendable.

Marketing leaders need to shift from a reactive mindset to a resilient one. In H2, that means rebalancing the mix: performance for precision, brand for durability.

AI Adoption Isn’t Optional — But It’s Not a Strategy

What Stood Out: AI officially crossed the hype threshold in H1. Nearly three-quarters of CMOs say they’ll invest $10+ million in AI over the next three years. And 49% already report improved time efficiency.

But with that excitement comes risk. There are industries (e.g. healthcare) where AI use is heavily restricted by safeguards and regulations, while many non-marketing execs are eyeing AI as a headcount-cutting tool. Meanwhile, the smartest marketing leaders are treating it as an operational accelerator, not a replacement for human insight.

The Takeaway: AI can help marketing leaders scale creativity, not replace it. From automating content variations to surfacing insights faster, AI is most effective when it enhances — rather than dictates — your strategy.

Measurement Is Non-Negotiable — But It Can’t Be the Only Lens

What Stood Out: With 84% of CMOs citing difficulty executing strategy and only 15% planning beyond a 3-year horizon, it’s clear the pressure to prove marketing’s value is real.

Budgets aren’t growing. Scrutiny is. Yet measuring the right things remains elusive.

The Takeaway: In H2, smart marketing leaders will build measurement models that reflect marketing’s full impact, not just last-click attribution. That includes linking brand-building to pipeline growth and aligning tactical reporting with business outcomes.

What Winning Brands Are Doing Differently in H2

The marketing leaders who come out ahead in December won’t be the ones who spent the most. They’ll be the ones who operated the most strategically.

Here’s what that looks like:

1. Recalibrate the Operating Model

Adopt a layered approach:

• Strategic Core: What makes your brand different? Own it in-house.
• Tactical Layer: SEO, paid media, CRO, etc. Outsource or partner where it drives scale.
• Automatable Tier: Lean into AI to unlock efficiency in content creation, QA, and reporting.

2. Plan in Sprints, Not Years

The days of rigid annual marketing calendars are over. Use 90-day planning cycles to stay responsive to market volatility, consumer sentiment, and new data.

3. Lean into Influencer and Social Strategy

With 59% of marketers increasing influencer budgets and 76% of consumers saying social content impacts their purchases, the message is clear: Modern buyers trust people more than logos. Invest where trust is being built.

4. Understand the Next Generation of Buyers

Gen Z is already influencing purchase decisions. Gen Alpha isn’t far behind. With $28 billion in spending power and a fully digital upbringing, this cohort will demand entirely new approaches to engagement.

Strategy Is Your Differentiator

In a market that’s noisy, crowded, and increasingly driven by automation, the role of CMOs and marketing leaders has never been more complex — or more critical.

Now is the moment to clarify what your brand stands for, double down on operational excellence, and use AI as a force multiplier.

If your team is ready to reset for H2, let’s talk.