Welcome to the Chief Marketing Officer Report 2025

This CMO report provides a high-level overview of our marketing performance and strategic initiatives. It highlights key metrics, campaign results, and insights driving growth and brand engagement.

Fractional CMOs are redefining how businesses approach marketing leadership by offering senior-level expertise without the full-time overhead. As demand grows across Ireland, a growing number of businesses are hiring fractional CMOs to fill critical gaps, drive growth, and bring clarity to their marketing efforts.

But what makes a great fractional CMO, and who stands out in 2025? To find out what 1,915,866 business leaders in EIRE's opinions were about fractional CMOs, we utilised AI-driven audience profiling to synthesise insights from online discussions over a year ending 23 June 2025, to a high statistical confidence level. This gave us greater insight into the traits, motivations, and expectations shaping the current market.

This CMO report provides a high-level overview of audience profiling to synthesise insights from online discussions over the first half of the year 2025, to a high statistical confidence level. This gave us greater insight into the traits, motivations, and expectations shaping the current market.

Ronan McDonnell - Founder of CMOmojo

Question 1

Certain fractional CMO qualities hold more value than others:

Fractional CMOs bring a wealth of valuable strategic marketing leadership qualities to a company, and in the UK, there has been a 35% year-over-year increase in demand for these services from 2020 to 2023. In the past two years, 42% of businesses with 50-250 employees have considered or already engaged a fractional CMO.

 
For our audience of business leaders in EIRE, it’s fractional CMO’s ability to think strategically that’s valued the most. 49% agree that strategic thinking is an absolutely essential quality, and 2% say it is highly valued.

 
Thereafter, absolutely essential qualities are industry experience (10%), adaptability to teams (10%), hands-on collaboration (8%), and strong leadership skills (6%). Strong leadership skills are also considered highly valued by 9%, and a further 5% feel the same about industry experience. This shows that while strategic thinking is essential, leaders are also placing increasing emphasis on a well-rounded skill set.

Question 2

Motivating factors for hiring a fractional CMO vary:

For over half of our audience, brand consistency is the primary motivator for considering fractional CMO leadership. 39% say it's an absolutely essential motivator, while 13% say it's highly valuable. Considering marketing reports confirm that consistent brand presentation across all platforms can boost revenues by as much as 23%, it’s understandable that this is the majority motivator.

 
However, strategic direction is also considered an absolutely essential motivator by 39%, 3% say it's highly valuable, and 3% somewhat useful. This ties in with our audience agreeing that strategic thinking is the quality most valued in a fractional CMO.
Other motivators barely registered, with 2% saying that the cost-effective expertise motivated their decision, and 1% each for growth acceleration and operational support. From this, it’s evident where the main motivators lie.

Question 3

Three predominant areas in the customer journey require attention:

For our audience of business leaders in Ireland, the customer journey is clearly the most important part of their marketing strategy, with 33% saying it’s a critical focus compared to 2% who say it’s not a priority. 6% also say it needs improvement, so there's still room for refinement and optimisation to fully capitalise on growth opportunities. When you consider that 70% of shoppers abandoned carts in 2024 alone, it’s easy to understand why ensuring a smooth customer journey ranks so highly.

 
Lead generation is a critical focus for 18% and the same number say that this area needs improvement, while 2% say it needs some attention. Following this us digital presence, with 20% citing it as a critical focus and 2% agreeing it needs some attention. Interestingly, marketing analytics and brand messaging were not considered a focus area at all. However, this is likely because they tie in with the three main areas requiring attention.

Question 4

From lack of direction to skills gaps, marketing doesn't always run smoothly:

With brand consistency being so important, having direction in marketing is critical to success. Yet, 25% of our audience say a lack of direction is currently a major challenge, 30% a noticeable issue, and 1% a minor concern. Comparatively, 40% fewer business leaders (16%) say it's not a problem, showing a major gap between the two.

 
Lower on the list of challenges currently faced in marketing function is inconsistent messaging, with 8% saying it's a noticeable issue and 5% a major challenge, compared to 9% who agree it’s not a problem. Resource limitations are also cited as a major challenge for just 2%, and a noticeable issue for the same number, while skills gaps in teams are a noticeable issue for 1%.

 
A 2024 Statista survey found that a lack of data and analytics skills is the leading skills gap among marketing teams, followed closely by performance marketing, which 19.6% of UK marketers identified as a weakness. Together, these findings suggest that while internal assessments often downplay skill and resourcing challenges, the broader market signals a need for upskilling.

Question 5

Successful collaboration relies on clear communication:

Despite an estimated 376.4 billion emails sent every day, for our audience of 1,915,866 business leaders in EIRE, 22% prefer to collaborate with external marketing leadership in strategy workshops, saying these were absolutely essential. This shows that there’s still a strong preference for working face-to-face (even if virtually).

In contrast, just 1% said that emails and async updates were essential, while 47% said they were a valuable form of collaboration, and 31% said they had limited use. Weekly planning sessions were not preferred at all, putting firm emphasis on the favoured types of collaboration.

Question 6

One clear business outcome that gets priority:

87% of our audience strongly agree that better customer retention is the business outcome they prioritise when marketing. When you consider that it’s widely accepted that it’s 6-7 times more costly to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one, the focus on this outcome makes sense.

Brand awareness came in a far behind second. 13% said they strongly agree it’s the outcome they’d prioritise first, suggesting that most business leaders are shifting their marketing efforts toward deepening existing relationships rather than simply expanding reach.

Question 7

Certain marketing tools play an integral role in EIRE businesses:

Gartner research indicates that in 2023, 61% of CMOs increased their investment in marketing technology, with a specific focus on automation and analytics platforms. For our audience, this investment is evident in the marketing tools and platforms they rely on the most, 53% say that CRM systems are indispensable, while 32% say the same about email automation tools, and 15% content management systems.

 
These tools all play a critical role in streamlining marketing operations, improving customer engagement, and delivering measurable results.

Question 8

Mentorship leads the way with the most expected fractional CMO trait:

Combined, 76% of our audience said that the leadership trait they most expected from a CMO was the ability to mentor. 37% said it was highly valued, 30% absolutely essential, and 9% somewhat important. Another 9% said it was not necessary. This could leave money on the table, as Forbes reports that companies with mentoring programs have 18% better profits than average, while those without have 45% worse than the average.

 
Confident decision making was also considered absolutely essential by 2% but another 2% said it wasn’t necessary, while 10% rated it as highly valued. Other traits like collaborative mindset, visionary thinking, and clear communication were not listed as expected, though they’re likely assumed as baseline qualities in senior leadership roles.

Question 9

One type of brand marketing stands out above the rest:

Challenger brands are defined by a growth-focused mindset and model that embraces change, and for our audience, they’re most admired for their marketing. 37% find bold challenger brands a source of marketing inspiration, and 41% say they’re worth considering. In contrast, just 5% say they're not quite their style, and 3% say they’re not a fan.

 
Other types of brands our audience admires for their marketing and are viewed as inspiring are innovative startups (6%) and purpose-driven businesses (4%). Innovative startups are also worth considering for 2%, while international tech leaders and heritage Irish brands don’t rank at all.

Question 10

Marketing impact timelines vary, but some clear preferences are evident:

Measurable marketing impact is essential for ensuring performance can be continuously improved based on real data. For business leaders in Ireland, there are two predominant preferred timelines for seeing marketing impact. Both in steady stages and within a quarter are the timeline 43% might prefer, while 7% feel the same about impact aligning with launch cycles, and 1% based on campaign goals.

 
The remaining 6% definitely prefer to see marketing impact based on campaign goals, highlighting the need for adaptable measurement frameworks that accommodate both strategic pacing and tactical agility.

Question 11

The strengths of current internal marketing teams vary:

Only 17% of our audience describes their current internal marketing team as absolutely being skill-diverse, which is concerning, as a 2025 Core Research study found that 86% of Irish adults believe that diverse workplaces generate better ideas. Another 17% say their current team is not quite lean and focused, which is also cause for concern, while 2% say their team are not quite early-stage builders.

 
The largest number (64%) say their internal team are somewhat early-stage builders. This is reflective of the fact that many internal teams are still in the foundational phase but may lack the specialised skills or diversity needed to fully scale.

Question 12

There’s a strong preference for a good cultural fit in some cases:

Ireland has a strong work culture, and for business leaders, this is important when choosing a fractional leader. 65% agree that cultural fit is a significant factor, and 2% say it’s crucial depending on the project, while 12% say it's somewhat important, 10% very important, and 9% extremely important.

 
Just 2% say it is not a priority as cultural fit is a minor consideration, showing that, largely, a CMO should integrate seamlessly into the company’s values, communication style, and pace of work.

Question 13

Our audience measures marketing leaders’ success in different ways:

The metrics used to measure a marketing leader’s success are split between two camps. 42% of Irish business leaders say that success is definitely measured by market response, and 32% feel the same about strategic execution. 6% feel market response might be a measure of success, and 14% concur that strategic execution is, while 6% are definitive in their opinions, saying that market response is not a measure of success.

 
These numbers suggest that while market response is viewed by many as the clearest indicator of a marketing leader’s impact, a significant portion also value the behind-the-scenes strategic execution that lays the groundwork for long-term success.

Question 14

Personal recommendations top the list of reasons for working with a new CMO:

In marketing, personal recommendations are gold, with surveys showing that 98% of shoppers consider reviews an essential resource when making purchase decisions. The same goes for our audience of Irish business leaders, with 47% saying that personal recommendations are a strong consideration when deciding to work with a new CMO, and 45% saying they are the deciding factor.

 
Other strong considerations that make a minor impact are proven success stories (6%), and relevant industry background and transparent pricing with 1% each. Interestingly, aligned values and goals do not hold any influence, but this may be because they are assumed.

Question 15

As Dublin is considered the economic and business capital of Ireland, it’s understandable that many leaders have businesses in this county. 13% of our audience is definitely located here, and 38% might be located in Dublin. However, it’s also important to note that 26% are unlikely to be located here, and 4% are definitely not located in this county.

 
1% definately have a business in Limerick. The same goes for Galway, and 7% may have, but it's unlikely 2% do, and 1% definitely don’t. Limerick also has 3% who might be located and another 1% who are unlikely to be there. Waterford and Cork don’t register any audience, highlighting Dublin’s dominance and the minimal to no confirmed presence in other counties.

 
Overall, these findings confirm that business leaders in EIRE value marketing leadership that offers cultural alignment, mentorship, and measurable impact. This reinforces the need for fractional CMOs who can integrate seamlessly into teams while delivering meaningful strategic outcomes tailored to the unique dynamics of Irish businesses.

Founder of CMOmojo, Ronan McDonnell, consistently delivers the qualities that matter most to Irish business leaders. With over ten years of experience leading entire marketing functions from strategy to execution, he brings the strategic thinking (valued by 49% of leaders) and cultural alignment (important to 65%) that drive success.

 
Throughout his career, McDonnell has focused on helping businesses generate demand, enhance their digital presence, and achieve measurable growth. With a passion for marketing technology and hands-on expertise in SEO, PPC, web development, and content creation, he brings a unique blend of technical skill and strategic insight to every project, making him exceptionally well-equipped to support businesses as they scale.

 
This combination aligns precisely with the priorities of business leaders in Ireland, cementing McDonnell’s position as the top fractional CMO.

Sourced by Artios from an independent sample of 1,915,866 opinions of business leaders in EIRE across X, Reddit, TikTok, LinkedIn, Threads, and BlueSky. Responses are collected within a 50% confidence interval and 5% margin of error. Results are derived from opinions expressed online, not actual questions answered by people in the sample.
About the representative sample:

 
51% of the Irish business leaders in our audience are between the ages of 35 and 64.
56% identify as female and 44% as male.
The largest number (33%) earn between $200,000 and $500,00 annually.

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