Daniel Fox

CMOs are under more pressure than ever to prove that marketing is not just an arts-and-crafts department but a core driver of revenue. If you can’t fluently explain how your campaigns move the needle on margin, deal size, or velocity, then you’re out of the loop.

Brand building AND balance sheets

The marketing metrics of yesteryear (awareness (which I’ve never been a fan of), impressions, reach) are increasingly meaningless in the boardroom. Today, the CMO must earn their seat at the table by demonstrating commercial outcomes, including Cost of Acquisition, Lifetime Value (LTV), payback period, and the direct impact of marketing on the sales-qualified pipeline.

Shorter cycles, without losing the plot

It might just be the pace of modern life, but long planning cycles are being swapped for 90-day commercial sprints. Test, learn, optimise, repeat. Campaigns are being measured in weeks, not years, and marketing spend is being reallocated on the fly based on what drives pipeline this quarter.

This isn’t a bad thing, but it’s a tightrope.

Les Binet’s work on “The Long and the Short of It” is more relevant than ever. Yes, we need fast activation and short-term hits that drive leads. But without brand investment, you’re pouring water into a leaky funnel. The job of the CMO is to balance the short-term sprint with long-term stewardship.

This is a tricky balancing act, so you can’t just show what’s working now. You need to prove you’re building future strength, reducing long-term acquisition cost, and creating brand memory structures that will drive revenue long after the current campaign.

So CMOs must advocate for long-term investment while proving short-term value. This isn’t a one-or-the-other decision.

Deal size

It’s not just about how many leads you generate; it’s about what kind. One of the most underused levers in B2B is marketing’s ability to influence deal size.

This is where segmentation, positioning, and messaging earn their keep. The best marketers work with sales to target the segments that are better fit  or simply have bigger wallets, longer contracts, and less discounting pressure. They arm account execs with value propositions that resonate with the ICP and unlock bigger deals.

But both sales and marketing need to be aligned on this and stay true to their word, or else there’s chaos that feels busy, but rarely yields anything of value.

CMOs in the Boardroom: Less Fluff, More P&L

Marketers who treat marketing as a cost centre will find their budget and their influence, shrinking. Deep down, we all know that.  But not all marketers hold themselves to account by framing their work as an investment with measurable return.

If you can’t explain your marketing plan in P&L terms, you’ll struggle.

The best marketing leaders translate creative strategy into commercial language. They look at metrics that matter: contribution margin, EBITDA impact, retention rates. Ideally sharing dashboards with the CFO.

Closing: This is Marketing’s Moment

This isn’t a call to kill creativity or neuter the brand team. Far from it. Speaking ‘finance’ is not abandoning creativity, but it’s giving it commercial credibility. Campaigns should stir emotions AND steer revenue.

I’ve always emphasised the importance of understanding the customer.  The best marketers will be those who obsess over customer insight and gross margin.

CMOs, it’s time to speak fluent CFO.