According to a 2025 Gartner survey, only 34% of surveyed CEOs and CFOs shared marketing leaders’ view of marketing’s role in business growth. Just 54% were confident that their CMO could demonstrate marketing’s value to the company. These figures measure different aspects of executive alignment; they are not a direct measure of how many executives “distrust marketers.”
McKinsey (2025) likewise highlights gaps in how senior leaders understand marketing’s role. Such research primarily concerns leadership in larger organizations and should not automatically be generalized to small businesses in Moldova.
Marketers often discuss activities and tools that senior management finds difficult to connect to financial performance.
- Teams may focus too heavily on new trends without explaining how they affect profitability.
- Marketers and executives may interpret return on investment (ROI) differently.
- Requests for larger budgets are not always supported by clear expectations of results.
- Reports can overwhelm leadership with metrics that have little connection to revenue and costs.
- The two groups may speak different languages: creative ideas and channels on one side, business outcomes on the other.
These five questions can help establish a more productive relationship.
1. How do you define marketing?
Points to discuss:
- Marketing is not the same as advertising.
- Different opinions can be productive when discussed openly.
- Leadership and the marketing team need a shared understanding of marketing’s role.
- Explain marketing activities through examples relevant to the business.
- Evaluate together how marketing supports company objectives.
2. How do you measure marketing performance?
Measurement is essential, but it is not always straightforward.
- Some metrics, such as social media likes, are easy to count.
- Engagement and marketing’s contribution to business outcomes are harder to measure.
- Agree on which indicators matter most.
- Build a reporting dashboard covering marketing, lead generation, customers, finances, the website, and content.
Not everything that matters can be captured by a single metric.
3. Is marketing strategic or operational?
The distinction concerns the level of decision-making and responsibility for the company’s direction. A clear marketing strategy should be understood and approved by leadership.
4. How involved should leadership be in marketing?
- Avoid extremes: executives do not need to manage every operational detail.
- At the same time, they should understand the overall direction and its relationship to financial results.
- In a healthy working relationship, leadership supports the team and accepts justified creative risks.
Review decision-making and responsibilities periodically.
5. What resources will you allocate to marketing?
- Start with the business’s objectives.
- Discuss the resources required and how they will be allocated.
- The marketing team should present a well-supported action plan.
- Leadership should evaluate that plan against company goals.
- A budget should not be set solely by increasing or decreasing an annual percentage.
- Prepare a marketing plan and budget that clearly explain the proposed activities.
If the team does not know where leadership wants to take the business, it is time to clarify the objectives.
A healthy relationship between leadership and marketing can become a competitive advantage. Leaders communicate their vision, support the team, and contribute to the company’s growth.
For help organizing marketing and sales activities, request a consultation.
