We sat down with Anders Dahl, CEO at Nepa, to explore the key forces shaping the future of brand growth. With a front-row seat to how leading brands are adapting, Anders sees clear signals behind the noise — and knows what CMOs need to prepare for.
The context: Budget season means tough choices — and sharper arguments
This time of year, one question keeps coming up:
How do we balance our marketing budget heading into a new year — and how do we build a strong case for the investments that truly make a difference?
With flat resources, rising expectations, and growing pressure to prove impact, many leaders are rethinking not just where they spend, but how they argue for what they protect.
Boards and CFOs want proof — not potential. That means marketers need to shift the conversation from “what do we need?” to “what value do we deliver?”. It’s no longer enough to report results. You have to show how insights reduce risk, improve ROI, sharpen decisions and fuel growth.
The problem: Traditional measurement no longer delivers
Many teams still rely on slow, retrospective data. The problem? It tells you what happened — long after it matters.
As Anders puts it:
“We need to stop asking ‘did it work?’ months later. Marketing leaders now need signals while the market is still moving.”
That means tracking how people think, feel and behave in the moment — and connecting it directly to decisions around campaigns, budgets and brand strategy.
And it also means shifting focus from vanity metrics to the KPIs that truly connect brand strength to business outcomes.
What’s driving the future of insights? Three big shifts
Anders sees three themes coming up again and again in conversations with CMOs and insight leaders:
- More research is moving in-house
This brings speed and proximity to decisions — but also increased workload and pressure to deliver more with the same resources. - AI is moving from hype to real value
AI is already helping summarise, analyse and automate. But without human judgment and strategic thinking, it’s just faster reporting. The real value comes from combining tech and insight. - ROI is non-negotiable
Boards want to know: Did this activity drive growth? Did it strengthen the brand? Did it reduce risk or speed up time to market? Insight functions that can’t answer these questions risk being deprioritised.
Budget for balance — and prove your impact
Every autumn, marketing leaders face a familiar challenge: how to build a budget that balances short-term wins with long-term value — and how to defend the investments that matter most.
Anders shares three principles to guide the conversation:
- Balance today’s performance with tomorrow’s growth
Think of brand building as long-term performance. It helps reframe the conversation with CFOs and CEOs. Your budget should protect both sales activation and brand equity — because they work together. - Invest in insights that demonstrate ROI
Boards expect evidence. Invest in tools and partnerships that show how marketing drives efficiency, growth and smarter decisions. Every euro or krona should come with a plan for how to measure its effect. - Use AI and in-house wisely — but don’t undervalue expertise
Yes, bring projects in-house and let AI handle the heavy lifting. But don’t confuse cheap with strategic. External expertise is still critical for complex, high-impact areas like brand tracking and marketing mix modelling.
The result: Smarter decisions. Stronger brands. Clearer direction.
So, what does it take to grow a brand in 2025 and beyond?
The fundamentals still apply — stay top of mind, build memory structures, connect emotionally, and balance brand and performance. But in today’s environment, doing all of that without clear, actionable insight is close to impossible.
Marketing needs to be more than reactive. It needs to lead. And that requires better tools, stronger arguments, and data that drives direction — not just reports on the past.
What to prepare for: The questions shaping the next five years
At every global summit and boardroom conversation, the same questions are gaining urgency:
- How do we reimagine insights in an AI-driven world?
- How do we prove marketing’s ROI in times of flat budgets?
- How do we balance purpose, performance and growth in a crowded landscape?
These aren’t side questions. They are the strategic challenges that will define the next chapter for marketing leaders.
At Nepa, we help brands turn data into direction — with insights that drive action and support smarter marketing investments.
→ Want to sharpen your budget case and protect what drives growth?
Get in touch — we’ll show you how.
Published on: 22ND SEP 2025