Evolution of the Marketing Operating Model

Brand new research reveals critical insights about the challenges - and opportunities - facing today's marketing leaders.

In today’s fast-evolving marketing landscape, a high-performing Marketing Operating Model (MOM) is essential to ensuring business success in an increasingly complex environment.

This new report, commissioned by AAR in partnership with ISBA, emphasises that a well-designed MOM is more than simply a response to change. An effective MOM is a vital strategic enabler of growth, customer engagement, and operational excellence. 

The research, based on insights from over 100 CMOs, Marketing Directors, and CEOs across multiple sectors, alongside interviews with leading marketers from PwC, Tesco, Ford, Specsavers, EY, KFC, BBC, VMO2 and NatWest, explores the Evolution of the Marketing Operating Model and offers a roadmap for improving agility, efficiency, and measurable business impact.

This report not only evidences the challenges marketers face but provides actionable advice from AAR experts and marketing leaders who have embarked on their own MOM transformation journeys.

Headline Findings

• Only 51% of CMOs believe their current MOM is high performing.
• 36% of organisations have introduced Marketing Operations teams in the past year, but many still lack clarity in processes and data-driven decision-making.
• CMOs are rethinking in-house and agency structures: 44% are building in-house media capabilities, yet 41% plan to eliminate in-house agencies and re-outsource work.
• Over half (52%) of CMOs see integrating media and creative as a significant challenge for the year ahead.
• 52% of CMOs are trialling Generative AI, which presents both opportunities and operational challenges across MOM pillars.

A Marketing Operation Model (MOM) is the HOW to marketing's WHAT

A MOM is the framework that ensures marketing strategies can be executed effectively. While marketers often focus on the ‘what’—strategy, creative, and media—the ‘how’ of marketing, which includes aligning people, partners, process, and platforms, is equally critical. 

A robust MOM enables organisations to ensure their people have the right capabilities, their partners are delivering effectively, their processes are clear and well-governed, and their platforms are seamlessly embedded.

Without a high-performing MOM, marketing strategies are at risk of under-delivering.

Want to know more? 

You can download the report at the top of this page - and if you'd like to know more about the report, or have any questions, feel free to get in touch via our contact page.