This is according to a new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council report, produced in collaboration with KPMG LLP.
The report, Marketing & Finance: Fueling Innovation Or Falling Behind? examines the marketing and finance relationship and how marketing leaders can achieve a higher level of confidence in their investments. challenges to deeper marketing-finance collaboration include differences in metrics and goals, priorities and incentives, risk assessment, timetables, etc.
What’s needed are stronger connections between budget and marketing planning, execution and performance, which will give greater visibility across marketing and finance teams.
Key findings include:
“If marketing and finance wish to successfully navigate economic headwinds, they’ll need to redefine their working relationship and align on financially responsible growth strategies that prioritise smart, realisable, innovative investments,” says Donovan Neale-May, executive director of the CMO Council.
Unlocking innovation in marketing strategy requires alignment and collaboration between marketing, finance and other C-suite peers. To strengthen the CMO-CFO partnership, CMOs should:
“A strong relationship between marketing and finance has become even more crucial in the current socioeconomic environment to ensure an organisation’s effective targeting, clear ROI, and transparent budgeting,” says Jason Galloway, customer advisory lead and marketing consulting practice lead, KPMG LLP.
“A clear view into the marketing plans and a deeper understanding of current performance, allows for better overall buy-in from the finance team that ultimately has the final say on budget. Smarter and timely marketing investments can lead to greater profitability and allow organizations to stay ahead of the competition.”
The report is based on a survey of over 275 marketing leaders across industries and geographies. Additionally, in-depth interviews with marketing executives from Fiserv, Vitamin Shoppe, Schneider Electric, Agios Pharmaceuticals, and others were conducted.
Download Marketing & Finance: Fueling Innovation Or Falling Behind? here