UK CMOs face AI divide & brand activism risks for 2025

New research from Censuswide explores UK Chief Marketing Officers' (CMOs) use of artificial intelligence (AI), approaches to brand activism, and priorities around budgets and measurement for 2025, revealing divisions between marketers and consumers on several key issues.

The study surveyed 500 CMOs and 2,001 nationally representative UK adults, examining the current landscape and year-on-year changes in marketing sentiment and practice.

AI adoption

According to the report, "89% of CMOs are using Generative AI and 78% are leveraging traditional AI." The data suggests a growing integration of AI into marketing workflows. Compared with the previous year, CMOs are significantly more likely to see AI as enabling greater creativity, with 64% now saying it fully or mostly enables more creativity, up from 43% last year.

However, there remains a marked gap between marketers and consumers regarding comfort with AI. While "58% of CMOs are using GenAI for social media content creation, a mere 38% of consumers are comfortable with brands using AI to do this." The research further shows that consumers are "almost twice as likely to have mixed feelings about AI (31%) than they are to be excited and optimistic (16%) about it."

Brand activism

On the issue of brand activism, the study found a split in consumer attitudes: "50% of UK consumers want or expect brands to take a stand on social or political issues, but 50% do not." This presents a challenging environment for CMOs, who must weigh the benefits of activism with the potential risk of alienating parts of their audience. The report notes that "24% of CMOs say the prospect of brand backlash is always on their mind when planning campaigns."

There is also increased concern in 2025 about association with political issues, such as international conflicts, identified as a top risk by 17% of respondents, up from 11% the previous year. By contrast, fewer are worried about "rogue posts from senior leaders or board members," with concern levels dropping from 11% to 7%.

Nevertheless, CMOs continue to highlight the significance of social values. The survey found that "96% of CMOs see the environment/sustainability as important components of their brand's identity and 95% think the same about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)." B2B professionals also increasingly factor company values into buying decisions, influencing how brands approach their public stance.

Consumer behaviour

The report finds that social media is now the primary channel for brand discovery among consumers, used by 40% of respondents, followed by recommendations from friends or family (37%) and online searches (37%). The role of social media is particularly pronounced among younger generations. "Only 2% of Gen Z do not use social media to engage with brands and just 5% of Millennials said the same."

Budgets and measurement

With ongoing economic pressures, CMOs report that "attracting (71%) and retaining (61%) clients/customers" are areas of significant challenge. Deciding on the right allocations with limited marketing budgets is a growing concern, with the percentage of CMOs reporting this as a challenge increasing from 38% to 46% in 2025.

The report also indicates a shift in marketers' top priorities for measurement. "The primary metric CMOs track has shifted from sales in 2024 (46%) to brand awareness in 2025 (62%)." The research demonstrates that using market research as a measurement tool can have a significant impact internally: "CMOs who use market research as a measurement tool are much more likely than those who do not to have stakeholders that are fully invested in marketing (69% vs 45%)."

"Our latest report is designed to give CMOs a clear picture of the current marketing landscape so they can benchmark their own strategies to help gain leadership support for their decision making. "With so many balancing acts to perform, having a clear, data-backed view is vital for CMOs to navigate these challenging times. In fact, CMOs who use market research as a measurement tool are much more likely than those who do not to have stakeholders that are fully invested in marketing (69% vs 45%). "The 2025 edition explores year-on-year changes, as well as introducing the consumer's perspective and a deeper dive into brand activism."

The research was conducted between June and July 2025, and includes responses from a mix of company sizes and both B2B and B2C organisations across the UK.