Why smart CMOs are quietly outsourcing entire functions

Campaign ME

10 hours ago

There's a quiet transformation reshaping global marketing departments – and it's changing the game for good. As highlighted at the 'CMOs in the Spotlight – Creativity, Longevity and Business Impact' panel at Cannes Lions Creativity Festival 2025, modern CMOs are evolving beyond traditional roles.
They're becoming business architects who expertly balance creativity, commercial rigor, and strategic collaboration. In an era where agility, ROI, and strategic thinking are everything, many Chief Marketing Officers are dismantling legacy marketing structures and outsourcing entire functions to specialist strategic partners.
The results are clear:
Leaner teams
Better ROI
More time to actually think
And some of the world's best-performing brands are reaping the rewards.
CMOs in the spotlight -shift from in-house to impact
Recent data from Gartner's CMO Spend and Strategy Survey 2024 shows nearly 60 per cent of CMOs are increasing reliance on external agencies or partners for core marketing functions such as content production, brand strategy, and performance marketing.
This shift is not tactical–it's deeply strategic. The new marketing model enables brands to stay lean, agile, and relentlessly focused on long-term growth instead of short-term deliverables.
As Forrester's 2024 Marketing Predictions put it:
'The future marketing team will look more like a control tower and less like an assembly line.'
During the Cannes Lions panel, industry leaders underscored how the best CMOs are moving from operational managers to ecosystem architects. By partnering strategically, they create nimble marketing organizations capable of adapting to rapid market changes while staying true to brand purpose.
What are CMOs outsourcing?
Brand Strategy: External strategists bring objectivity, trend foresight, and cross-industry intelligence.
External strategists bring objectivity, trend foresight, and cross-industry intelligence. Creative Development: Great ideas can come from anywhere–decentralized global creative hubs tap into diverse talent pools beyond internal teams.
Great ideas can come from anywhere–decentralized global creative hubs tap into diverse talent pools beyond internal teams. Content Production: Demand for speed and scale is met by studios that produce, iterate, and localize content rapidly.
Demand for speed and scale is met by studios that produce, iterate, and localize content rapidly. Marketing Operations & Automation: With increasingly complex MarTech stacks, external experts maximize ROI and reduce operational drag.
Who's Doing It Well?
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola operates a networked marketing model involving over 200 partners globally working within a unified brand strategy. This approach powered campaigns like Real Magic, reducing internal complexity while unlocking creativity.
Nestlé
Nestlé consolidated its marketing into regional hubs and outsourced functions such as content production and media planning. This model accelerated content delivery across 180+ markets and improved efficiency, allowing internal teams to focus on brand purpose, sustainability storytelling, and product innovation.
Airbnb
Instead of scaling a large internal team, Airbnb partners with expert brand studios and local creators. Their 2023 Made Possible by Hosts campaign combined authenticity with agility, delivering powerful storytelling without bloating headcount.
Why this works
Leaner Teams, Stronger Focus
By outsourcing strategic functions, CMOs free internal teams from daily executional fire drills and focus on big-picture challenges–customer experience, innovation, and market expansion.
Better ROI
Flexible cost models replace fixed overheads, paying for impact rather than headcount. According to McKinsey, companies that outsource strategically can save 15–25 per cent in costs and boost marketing effectiveness by up to 40 per cent.
Time to Think
In today's environment, attention is currency–not just for consumers, but for leaders. Delegating operational tasks gives CMOs time to reimagine their brands, lead digital transformation, and craft meaningful customer journeys.
What this means for the future of marketing
At GVGL, we witness this transformation daily. As strategic partners to global brands across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, we don't just execute campaigns–we help drive business transformation. Our collaborations with clients like Bayer, Heineken, Novo Nordisk, and Unilever demonstrate that the future belongs to brands that think boldly, collaborate deeply, and operate lean.
The old model of siloed teams and internal execution is giving way to one that's smarter, faster, and more human.
And the best CMOs? They're not afraid to let go – because they understand real control comes from clarity, not micromanagement.
In a world where marketing leaders must deliver more with less, those embracing external strategic partners are leading the way. This is not outsourcing for mere efficiency–it's partnering for excellence.
If your marketing feels stretched, reactive, or weighed down by execution, maybe it's time to ask:
What could your brand achieve if your team had more time to lead–and less pressure to produce?
By GVGL Marketing Management CEO, Ebru Tuygun