Forrester uniquely covers the entire marketing ecosystem and its underlying business.

2026 heralds a monumental shift in marketing and advertising, surpassing the decades-long “digital” transformation.  AI will upend commercial models, reshape brand expectations from partners, and demand new measures of efficient growth. CMOs face the herculean task of re-wiring the marketing function. Martech must re-architect solutions to embrace the AI layer of business. Agencies are grappling with the challenge of redefining their value in the wake of consolidation, automation, and hybrid SaaS/service competitors.

Forrester is at the center of the CMO agenda, agency world, and martech landscape.

Forrester’s research spans marketing, technology, AI, CX, and EX, allowing us to serve as connective tissue. Our data connects CMOs, customers, and agencies like no other, with a comprehensive view of the “Total Experience”— a connected measure of brand, customer, and employee experience. Forrester is always by the side of our CMO clients, representing their interests, advising on marketing transformation, and helping select the right partners. We have agency insight backed by hands-on experience to help refine positioning, sharpen capabilities, and align to client priorities. Forrester’s comprehensive evaluative research of AdTech, Martech, commerce, and beyond helps marketers maximize the value of services and software.

Forrester’s perspective is a force multiplier.

The trifecta of advising CMOs, guiding agencies, and shaping technology decisions is essential to facilitate marketing excellence amidst the collective chaos, as the boundaries of creative, media, technology, and services blur.

  • CMOs, Forrester is your trusted advisor. The pressures from the business are a mainstay and we are always by your side. Marketing leaders are inundated with claims from agencies, consultancies, and hybrid partners promising transformation, efficiency, and integrated capabilities. CMOs need unbiased, evidence‑based guidance to determine which partners can truly accelerate outcomes. Forrester brings deep knowledge of operating models, creative and media maturity, AI readiness, and the gap between what partners promise and what they can deliver. We advise agencies and Martech directly. This clear understanding of their capabilities provides CMOs with a grounded, honest assessment of how well a potential partner aligns with their goals and culture.
  • Agencies, Forrester is your strategic amplifier. We help agencies strengthen the narrative, validate differentiation, and bring an outside‑in perspective that elevates pitches and client engagements. Agency teams rely on Forrester’s vertical insights, consumer data, and competitive intelligence to create smarter proposals, anticipate shifts and execute more effective campaigns. Our data, evaluations, and frameworks provide the decisiveness and credibility agencies need to stand out in chaotic markets.
  • Martech, Forrester is your objective voice. We help partners maximize their solutions and opportunities among agencies and brands by assessing the strengths and opportunities of tech products. With this unique understanding, we create future-oriented models that help the industry maximize the combination of SaaS and services. Our insight into brands and agencies benefits Martech by uniquely understanding how new platforms and technology can advance marketing executives’ needs.

Marketing Chaos Is Our Calling.

Change, new players, emerging technologies, we’ve got you. Many claim to have a distinct advantage in serving marketing leaders. Companies like Accenture Song have made substantial investments in creative, design, AI, and commerce capabilities, positioning themselves as end‑to‑end transformation partners. Major holding companies like Publicis Groupe, WPP, and Omnicom Group are far from being outmatched. Agencies large and small have the capabilities to meet modern client demands. It’s about finding the right partner for your busines with the right culture to drive growth. Forrester’s cross‑industry visibility allows us to cut through the rhetoric, compare capabilities objectively, and help CMOs understand where true strengths—and true gaps—exist across all types of partners and platforms.

This unprecedented AI-driven transformation demands that the entire marketing ecosystem go beyond surface-level insights. The industry needs Forrester, an unbiased advisor who speaks the languages of buyers, providers, and customers.

CMOs looking for a growth partner should contact Mike Proulx . Agencies who want to sharpen their competitive edge, Jay Pattisall, and for Martech, Emily Collins. Explore how our insights, frameworks, and advisory can inform your decisions and help you lead with confidence.

And to hear more about our global consumer, marketing and business research broadly,  Keith Johnston.