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Gartner’s 2026 Priorities for Tech CMOs. And What They Demand From Data
- GDR
- 14 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Data is no longer a backend concern.
It’s the foundation of modern marketing leadership.
In its 2026 Priorities for Tech CMOs, Gartner is explicit: AI must be treated as a growth engine, not a cost-saving layer.
But unlocking that value has little to do with deploying more tools - and everything to do with how marketing organisations are designed, differentiated, and led.
Want to hear GDR's position on AI in adtech & marketing? Please read here:
The three priorities redefining the Tech CMO role
Gartner identifies three priorities shaping how Tech CMOs must lead in 2026:
1. Build an AI-powered marketing organisation
Most AI initiatives fail not because of technology, but because organisations aren’t ready for it.
Gartner’s point is clear: AI only creates value when processes, data, and people are prepared first.
That readiness requires:
high-quality, accessible data
standardised, well-documented processes
teams that understand their role in AI-enabled decision-making
Without this foundation, AI doesn’t generate advantage; it accelerates noise.
For Tech CMOs, this means treating data not as an output of marketing activity, but as strategic infrastructure.
2. Amplify differentiation in an AI-mediated world
As AI increasingly filters, summarises, and recommends options to buyers, the risk of commoditisation rises.
In Gartner’s words, brand is no longer just a marketing asset; it’s a strategic lever.
When AI agents shortlist vendors, recognition and authority decide who gets seen. Differentiation becomes essential not just for humans, but for machines interpreting markets on their behalf.
In this environment, brands that lack clarity, consistency, and trust simply disappear from consideration.
3. Become a future-forward Tech CMO
Perhaps the most profound shift Gartner highlights is the evolution of the Tech CMO role itself.
Future-forward Tech CMOs don’t lead through operational efficiency alone. They lead through strategic insight, shaping how the organisation understands customers, markets, unmet needs, and disruptive forces.
Marketing leadership becomes less about execution and more about market shaping.
Where most data strategies fall short
What Gartner describes requires more than dashboards and automation.
It requires data that:
reflects real human behaviour, not proxies
is privacy-safe by design, not retrofitted
and can be translated into actionable insight, not just measurement
Yet many marketing data ecosystems still optimise for scale, speed, or attribution.
“Tech CMOs today need data that helps them modernise operations, sharpen differentiation, and elevate their role as strategic leaders,” says Gunnar Kihl, COO at GDR. “GDR is built to provide that clarity by turning privacy-safe behavioural signals into insight patterns CMOs can actually act on.”
How GDR is built for the 2026 Tech CMO mandate
GDR supports Tech CMOs by:
providing signal-based, ID-free audience intelligence rooted in real behaviour
enabling AI-ready data foundations that prioritise quality over volume
supporting differentiation through contextual, geo-behavioural insight, rather than interchangeable segments
In an AI-mediated buying journey, what you feed the system determines how and whether you’re represented.
The signal for 2026 is clear
treat AI as a strategic capability, not a shortcut
invest in brand as a trust signal for humans and machines alike
and lead with insight, not just output
Data is no longer a support function.
It’s the foundation of modern marketing leadership.
Ready to act on the 2026 mandate?
If you’re exploring how to modernise marketing operations for AI, build durable differentiation in a privacy-first world, and elevate marketing’s strategic impact, we’d love to talk.
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