Congratulations! You’re in a leadership role in marketing at a B2B-focused organization. You put in the hard work, made smart moves, and now … you just need to get the C-suite to take your department seriously. Easier said than done. You’ll want killer campaigns and unique, impactful creative, naturally. But these days, as you well know, that’s table stakes. Your CEO, CFO, and CTO want measurable results and a whole lot of ROI, deeply rooted in data and strategy.
Ready to show them what you’re made of? These three steps are your ticket to earning their trust and owning the room.
1. Get educated: Build a foundation in data and analytics
Marketing leaders at top-tier organizations—think DoorDash, P&G, Indeed, Asana—have embraced the power of advanced analytics to drive decision-making. These companies don’t rely solely on last-touch attribution (LTA) or multi-touch attribution (MTA). Instead, they delve into marketing mix modeling (MMM), incrementality testing, and an understanding of correlation vs. causation.
Why it matters: CMOs who master these concepts can better assess the effectiveness of their strategies and investments. A lack of understanding limits growth and leads to missed opportunities in aligning marketing strategies with broader business objectives.
Industry insight: McKinsey highlights that “data-driven organizations are 23 times more likely to acquire customers, six times as likely to retain customers, and 19 times as likely to be profitable.” These numbers underscore the value of statistical literacy in modern marketing teams.
Actionable example: Consider assembling a team workshop focused on Statistics 101. Tools like Coursera or LinkedIn Learning offer courses tailored for marketers. Even a single week of structured learning can transform your team’s approach to interpreting data.
2. Translate marketing for the executive suite
Great marketers not only understand complex concepts—they can simplify them for others. Your CEO or CFO likely doesn’t care about the technical intricacies of MMM or incrementality. They care about how marketing drives revenue, customer acquisition, and long-term growth. It’s your job to connect the dots.
How to succeed:
- Define “good marketing” in terms that resonate with business goals.
- Explain that marketing data is inherently imperfect but still actionable.
- Break down MMM and incrementality into digestible, nontechnical examples.
Real-world example: At P&G, executives focus on what they call the “consumer-first lens,” an approach grounded in measurable outcomes rather than jargon. By presenting marketing outcomes as clear, business-aligned narratives, P&G’s marketing team consistently earns executive buy-in.
3. Align on success criteria before executing
One of the biggest pitfalls for CMOs is jumping straight into execution without a shared understanding of what success looks like. Skipping this step often leads to misaligned expectations and frustration when campaigns don’t deliver immediate or obvious results.
Steps to alignment:
- Collaborate with the C-suite to define realistic success metrics tied to overarching business goals.
- Present hypotheses about how marketing initiatives will impact the business trajectory.
- Set clear expectations that not all experiments will succeed—failure is an integral part of a scientific approach.
Pro tip: Harvard Business Review emphasizes the importance of creating a “learning organization.” CMOs who position marketing experiments as opportunities for organizational learning—not just revenue generation—gain more latitude and support from their peers.
Case study: When DoorDash shifted its focus to MMM and incrementality, the company saw significant growth by aligning marketing experiments with broader business objectives. The marketing team communicated potential outcomes and failures up front, fostering trust and collaboration across leadership.
The payoff: From defense to offense
Building credibility with the C-suite isn’t just about knowing your MMM from your MTA—it’s about earning trust, aligning on goals, and showing you’ve got the chops to drive real results.
By following these steps, you can move from constantly defending your marketing budget to driving strategic conversations that position marketing as a growth engine. This shift is transformative; when the executive team sees marketing as a strategic partner rather than a cost center, the dynamic changes.
Need help leveling up your strategy or making your next big move with the execs? CMD is here to back you up. Let’s chat and turn your marketing team into the powerhouse your C-suite dreams about: cmdagency.com/contact.
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