CMOs 'lacking control over the true drivers of growth'

Chief marketing officers are being held accountable for business growth despite lacking control over the decisions and organisational structures needed to deliver it, while simultaneously being expected to achieve more with fewer resources.

That is the damning conclusion of a new study by TikTok and Uncensored CMO, based on an anonymous survey of UK CMOs conducted by System1. “The Real 4Ps of a CMO” finds that marketing leaders often only have direct control over promotion – one of marketing’s traditional four Ps – despite pressure to generate revenue, demonstrate measurable impact and lead organisations through disruption.

The research identifies a new set of leadership capabilities that CMOs need to build influence across their organisations and create the conditions for sustainable growth: planning, performance, persuasion and people.

The research reveals the scale of the challenge. Over half (56%) said it has become harder to make the case for long-term brand investment compared with three years ago, leading 72% of CMOs to allocate more budget to short-term performance activity than long-term brand building.

Meanwhile, three-quarters (74%) of CMOs grew revenue but only 45% saw budgets grow over the last 12 months, while almost half said their company reinvests less than 5% of turnover in marketing.

Nearly four in five CMOs said fewer than half of their team were fully trained in core marketing fundamentals, with 28% of CMOs citing strategy as their biggest skills challenge.

The report argues that CMOs can address these challenges by developing the new 4Ps:

Planning: Looking beyond immediate execution, making strategic choices and aligning investment, people and resources around a long-term plan.

Performance: Staying close to customers, turning insight into action and demonstrating marketing’s commercial contribution.

Persuasion: Building support among CEOs, boards and internal stakeholders so that marketing strategy is understood, funded and implemented.

People: Developing the leadership capabilities, culture, collaboration and marketing skills needed to deliver sustainable growth.

Uncensored CMO Jon Evans said: “Marketing can be transformational, but CMOs are being held accountable without being given sufficient control, investment or authority. They are expected to drive growth while spending too much of their time fighting for the conditions that make growth possible.

“The answer is not to retreat into the marketing department. CMOs need to become visionaries, commercial operators, internal politicians and leaders.

“The ‘Real 4Ps’ provide a framework for doing that. By strengthening planning, performance, persuasion and people, CMOs can earn greater influence, secure investment and create the conditions for marketing to transform the whole business.”

TikTok global head of business marketing Isobel Sita-Lumsden added:”We wanted to uncover what it means to be a CMO. Despite the pressures they face, today’s CMOs are continually evolving.

“They are expanding their influence beyond traditional marketing responsibilities and developing the capabilities needed to drive business success in a rapidly changing world. The most successful CMOs are not simply responding to change, they are helping shape it.”

CMOs ‘lacking control over the true drivers of growth’

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