Chief marketing officers (CMOs) around the world say they expect their marketing role to change this year, according to LinkedIn research.

Of the 300 senior executives surveyed, almost three-quarters say they believe their role as marketers will be altered because of the coronavirus.

The report found that 58% believe they will have to devote more time towards employer branding, internal communications and learning and development as priorities change.

A majority said they expect to rely more on data and technology this year, while 48% believe that to wield greater influence in the boardroom as their roles evolve.

Commenting on the results, LinkedIn UK, Ireland and Israel’s head of marketing solutions, Tom Pepper said that Covid-19 has caused “severe business turbulence” and that CMOs must “navigate the challenges ahead and fuel the return to growth”.

As well as role changes, marketers are increasingly concerned about changes to the landscape over the next year as the pandemic continues to bite.

Research carried out by Gartner last month indicated that CMOs intend to look to existing customers to fuel growth over the next 12 months.

The data revealed that 73% of CMOs would prefer this approach instead of looking to develop new markets.

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As well as this, marketers will have to expand their digital skillsets at an increased rate to keep up with changes brought on by the pandemic.

LinkedIn data show that the adoption of digital skills has been driven by a rise in marketing spend, with 65% saying they expected to spend more on marketing this year.

Pepper added: “CMOs have always required a diverse skill set, but it appears they’ll be taking on even more responsibilities in 2021.

“Upskilling will be an important focus for CMOs this year as they look to redeploy employees and plug potential skills gaps, but the savviest will also know when to bring in extra talent.”

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Commenting on the reasons behind CMO role changes this year, Gideon Wellins, CEO of marketing firm Lemon Pulse, said: “I think CMOs are feeling that their roles will change due to Covid because, quite frankly, they are.

“As traditional roles, meetings, events, and so on have been removed from businesses repertoire due to social distancing and the like, companies must find new ways to get in front of their audiences.

“Hence the position of a CMO is evolving to ensure that their teams are equipped to handle, analyse, and make decisions on the data they have, find the data that they need, and cross-collaborate with teams to ensure all potential consumers are being taken care of.

“This is quite a big topic, for CMOs in particular, and could go on for ages on how, why, and where the role of CMO is going.”