The winds of transformation are blowing through the marketing world. What was once a functional title Marketing Director is now being reimagined and reshaped.

But beyond the change in nomenclature lies a much deeper evolution in responsibility, influence, and strategic positioning.

At a high-level industry gathering hosted by the Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN), participants raised the core question: Is this shift truly strategic or merely cosmetic? The answer from top industry voices was unanimous: the change is real and it is long overdue.

 

CMOs Must Be Strategic Growth Drivers — Osamede Uwubanmwen

Opening the debate, Osamede Uwubanmwen, President of ADVAN, declared that the redefinition of marketing leadership must reflect a broader strategic mandate. For him, CMOs are no longer just brand custodians they are growth architects.

“We are meant to be growth officers,” Uwubanmwen stated. “Marketing is the bottom-line element. It drives customer satisfaction, brand health, and ultimately, revenue.”

He warned that marketers must stop underselling themselves. Despite being the reason products move off shelves, marketing leaders still struggle to ascend to CEO positions. His call was clear: “We market brands, but we must also learn to market ourselves into the boardroom.”

Transitioning to policy, Uwubanmwen echoed the concern around governance, calling for enabling policies rather than restrictive ones. “Governance should be a fair play field not a stifling gatekeeper. If you say marketers can’t use AI for creative work, yet the government has launched a National AI Strategy, what are we even doing?” he asked.

The Soft Side of Marketing Is Still Our Edge — Olufemi Williams

Taking a more technological view, Olufemi Williams, keynote speaker and Founder/Chief Enabling Officer of Newwaves Ecosystem Ltd., argued that CMOs who understand the business of growth not just brand awareness will become tomorrow’s CEOs.

“The difference is not tools anymore. Anyone can access AI. But what separates marketers is their ability to tell compelling stories, build trust, and create growth strategies that scale,” he said.

Williams challenged the industry to evolve its mindset: marketers should not only seek new customers, but also drive growth across the value chain from production to distribution. “This is the era of the integrated growth officer. CMOs must wear the cap of execution, logistics, and strategy not just media planning.”

Despite the optimism, challenges remain. Williams warned that many CMOs still sit on the sidelines of strategic decisions. “Everyone who wants to be CEO must understand numbers, operations, and strategy. Many CMOs are still stuck only analyzing consumer perception. That must change,” he cautioned.

We’re Not Just Cost Centers Anymore — Ediri Ose-Ediale

ADVAN’s CEO, Ediri Ose-Ediale, drove the point further by addressing the perception gap that often limits marketers’ influence within organizations.

“Marketing is often seen as a cost center, but that’s changing. When CMOs speak the language of numbers revenue, ROI, growth they shift from expense lines to strategic assets.”

To institutionalise this change, Ose-Ediale revealed that ADVAN is launching the Nigerian Marketing Development Team, a coalition of senior professionals tasked with redefining the marketing function in line with AI, governance, and business growth. “We’re building structures. From communiqués to funding skill development, we’re empowering marketers to play at the top,” she added.

 

Marketing Must Sit Across Every Business Line — Olufunke Fajusigbe

 

For Olufunke Fajusigbe, CEO of Auxilia Group, the shift in CMO role is both global and inevitable. She noted that the new marketer must be deeply involved in every facet of the organization from finance and supply chain to innovation and HR.

“It’s not business as usual. CMOs must stop seeing themselves as external communicators. They are now doctors of the brand, diagnosing business gaps and prescribing growth solutions,” she said.

Her view supports the growing consensus: CMOs must understand the full business landscape, not just marketing tactics.

 

AI Won’t Replace CMOs, It Will Elevate Them — Demilade Olaosun

 

From a tech-startup perspective, Demilade Olaosun, Founder and CEO of Lohil, believes CMOs who embrace AI will gain unmatched advantage not because AI replaces them, but because it amplifies their value.

“AI is not here to take your job. It’s a tool that magnifies what you already know,” he said. “We now have predictive data, behavioral targeting, and automation but these still need human connection to convert.”

He stressed that agencies and marketing platforms must collaborate rather than compete. “We need open data, shared insights, and cross-sector partnerships to build a $1 trillion economy,” he emphasized.

The Way Forward: Integration, Intelligence, and Influence

Across the board, the consensus was clear: the evolution of the CMO is not optional, it is existential. Marketing leaders must now integrate across business functions, leverage intelligent tools like AI responsibly, and exert greater influence on strategy and execution.

The traditional boundaries of marketing have dissolved. What remains is a new, agile, data-driven, and growth-obsessed leadership archetype. And it is this archetype the strategic CMO that is now being groomed for the boardroom, the C-suite, and beyond.

The question is no longer if CMOs should become CEOs. The question is: what’s stopping them?

As the ADVAN conference concluded, one thing was clear this is not just a title change. It is a strategic repositioning that will define the future of business leadership.