As deepfakes, automated content generation, and algorithmic marketing continue to flood consumer feeds, executive leaders across Australia gathered at Crown Plaza in Surfers Paradise for the 2026 CMO Summit with one core priority on the agenda – Trust.
Organised by Marcus Evans, the premier invitation-only forum, held on the 22nd and 23rd July, brought together top marketing executives, including leadership from brands like David Jones, Baker’s Delight, and Seven Eleven, to address the challenges faced by modern marketing executives.
The first session of the Summit was an interactive forum, Marketing Under the Microscope: Growth Engine or Cost Centre. Economic headwinds, higher interest rates, and tighter budgets over recent years have made CFOs scrutinise every line item. Marketing is usually one of the largest discretionary spends in a company, making it the first place executives look to cut or demand strict accountability from.
Metrics that measure marketing success, such as conversions, brand recognition, leads generated, etc, need to connect to metrics that demonstrate business outcome success.
Brand credibility in the digital age
A central theme throughout the two-day event was brand credibility in the digital age, where CMOs confronted the dual-edged sword of artificial intelligence. While generative AI and predictive analytics have enabled unprecedented campaign scale and hyper-personalisation, they have simultaneously lowered consumer trust amidst widespread misinformation and synthetic media.
Jody Murray-Freedman, CMO for Baker’s Delight, in her presentation Building Brand Credibility in the Age of AI, comments, “In the world of AI-generated content, algorithmic decision-making and rising consumer scepticism, credibility has become an absolute competitive moat. Consumers continuously reward brands that feel reliable, transparent, relevant, and most important, human. They want to know if they’re talking to someone they’re actually real”.
Key discussions across the two days highlighted several critical shifts required to preserve brand integrity:
- Authenticity over automation: Leaders emphasised that while AI handles execution speed, human oversight must dictate brand voice and ethical boundaries to prevent generic or misleading messaging.
- Data transparency: In a post-cookie landscape, building consumer trust requires absolute transparency around zero-party data collection and clear value exchanges for customer privacy.
- Omnichannel alignment: Brand promises made in high-level campaigns must match real-world customer service touchpoints, where disconnects between marketing claims and customer experience quickly erode long-term credibility.
Building and protecting brand trust isn’t just a marketing exercise, it’s a core operational metric that dictates customer retention and long-term business value.
The CMO as value maximiser
Beyond brand strategy, delegates explored how CMOs must operate as value maximisers, balancing tight economic budgets with ambitious ROI expectations. Discussions reinforced that brand trust isn’t an abstract soft metric, but a direct driver of customer lifetime value and lower acquisition costs in increasingly skeptical markets.
From channel specialists to connectors
In the Fireside Chat, Building Future Fit Marketing Talent, marketing leaders from 7 Eleven, Sj Group, and the Kerry Group, discussed their recruitment and talent acquisition challenges and priorities.Traditionally, a career in marketing followed a linear path around how to build campaigns, understand consumer demographics, and manage specific channels. However, the modern mandate requires a much broader scope, ranging from data analytics and martech to influencer marketing and social engagement.
This shift is actively changing how companies recruit talent. Rather than prioritising candidates with specialist, skill specific backgrounds, leaders are placing higher value on critical thinking, strategic agility, and ‘soft’ skills like resilience and curiosity. Generalists, with the right aptitude and ability to learn are in high demand.
As the summit concluded along the Gold Coast, the takeaway for 2026 and beyond was clear – technology may grant marketers attention, but only authentic, transparent engagement will earn customer trust.
