B2B Marketing Directions: Surveyed CEOs Paint a Mixed Picture of CMO Performance

Supply:  Boathouse Group, Inc.

Surveyed CEOs gave their CMO excessive marks for alignment with CEO and enterprise targets, effectiveness at constructing cross-functional relationships, and understanding firm financials. However, on the crucial enterprise problems with technique and development, the critiques had been extra combined.

That is the central message of “The Boathouse Fifth Annual CEO Study” by Boathouse Group, Inc., a advertising company primarily based in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Concerning the Research

Boathouse has been conducting this analysis since 2021. The fifth version (2026) of the research is predicated on a survey of 150 CEOs at U.S. firms. Survey respondents led firms having annual income that ranged from $250 million to greater than $1 billion.

Sixty-one p.c (61%) of the respondents had been with firms having greater than 1,000 staff. Respondents had been affiliated with firms working in 16 trade verticals, with healthcare being the most important cohort (19% of all respondents).

The survey was carried out January 6 – 26, 2026.

The first objective of this analysis was to seize the views of CEOs relating to their CMO and their firm’s advertising group. The 2026 survey additionally included questions on how CEOs form technique and about their funding in, adoption of, and targets for synthetic intelligence.

The Boathouse research has two apparent limitations. First, the research is predicated on a survey with a comparatively small variety of respondents. And second, Boathouse doesn’t declare that its survey panel is a consultant pattern of all CEOs. Subsequently, the quantitative survey findings can’t be “projected” to all CEOs.

The place CMOs are Performing Nicely

Many of the CEOs surveyed by Boathouse had been constructive on a number of features of their CMO’s efficiency. For instance:

• 79% of the survey respondents mentioned their CMO reveals a robust dedication to the CEO and Board of Administrators. That was up barely from 76% within the 2025 survey.

• 72% mentioned their CMO understands their firm’s financials, up considerably from 61% within the 2025 survey.

• 85% mentioned their CMO builds belief inside their firm, down solely barely from 87% within the 2025 survey.

As well as, 59% of the surveyed CEOs mentioned their CMO understands their firm’s enterprise targets, and 70% mentioned the metrics utilized by advertising are totally (12%) or principally (58%) aligned with their firm’s major enterprise metrics.

Combined Opinions on Technique

 The CEOs collaborating within the Boathouse survey gave combined critiques to their CMO with regards to technique.

First, the excellent news. Sixty-eight p.c (68%) of the survey respondents mentioned their CMO leads (8%) or actively contributes to (60%) the formulation of their firm’s technique. This discovering means that many CMOs have efficiently gained a seat on the technique desk.

Nonetheless, slightly below 20% of the surveyed CEOs gave their CMO a grade of “A” on technique. That was down from almost 35% within the 2025 version of the survey.

The survey report does not present an evidence for the declining proportion of “A” grades, however it might be because of rising expectations. As extra CEOs embody their CMO within the technique growth course of, some may have excessive expectations for the standard of the CMO’s contribution.

The Good and Not-So-Good Information on Driving Progress

The CEOs surveyed by Boathouse additionally gave combined critiques to their CMO (and their advertising group) on driving income development.

The survey findings clearly present that CEOs view development as a crucial enterprise challenge. Thirty-two p.c (32%) of the survey respondents recognized “development efficiency” as the world of their enterprise the place they really feel most personally uncovered or susceptible as CEO. The following highest proportion (21%) was for “aggressive threats.”

CEOs additionally see development as the first mandate of their advertising group, with 65% of the survey respondents citing “drive gross sales development and/or develop market shares” as advertising’s prime precedence.

The excellent news is that 59% of the surveyed CEOs indicated they’re “assured” in advertising’s means to make a “significant” contribution to development.

The not-so-good information is that solely 13% of the survey respondents mentioned they’re “very assured” that their advertising group can reveal the incremental elevate supplied by advertising investments.

Whereas a basic feeling of confidence is sweet, it will not be adequate to steer CEOs to prioritize advertising spending when tough capital allocation selections have to be made. So, CMOs and different advertising leaders should maintain working to supply credible proof of the monetary impacts of their advertising actions and applications.