With pressure mounting to demonstrate marketing’s ROI in the boardroom, leaders from Sainsbury’s, Wavemaker and Google explore how CMOs can position marketing as a vital growth driver in terms the C-suite can understand at The Drum Live.
CMOs today are under immense pressure to prove marketing’s value to the board – yet, according to The Drum research, linking marketing directly to business growth has been a top challenge for them this year. That, along with finding growth in an uncertain environment.
With this pressure, the role of the CMO is changing: today’s CMOs must be strategists, change-makers and effective communicators, especially when addressing the boardroom.
The question of how to position marketing as a vital growth driver by aligning measurement strategies with overall business objectives was the focus of a recent panel at The Drum Live.
The measurement challenge: a perfect storm
Heni Hazbay, director of digital marketing for Sainsbury’s, Argos, Habitat, TU and Nectar, kicked off sharing how brands have faced a “perfect storm” of regulatory changes, stricter data privacy measures, and operating systems this year, hampering their ability to measure marketing success with accuracy.
“We were suddenly unable to match our digital marketing efforts with the bottom-line results as we used to, and that raised eyebrows in the boardroom,” Hazbay explained, noting their main question being: “Where is the revenue you promised or forecasted?”
This pressure to deliver concrete financial outcomes highlighted the need for better ways of translating marketing performance into business terms that resonate with non-marketing leaders. He emphasized that CMOs must work across departments – legal, engineering, marketing and data protection officers – to address the root causes of measurement challenges and deliver clear business cases to secure buy-in and unlock more marketing investment.
Framing the metrics: speaking the board’s language
A recurring theme in the discussion was the importance of framing marketing metrics in a language that business leaders can easily understand. Lindsey Wolfryd, managing partner at Wavemaker, reinforced this point from the agency perspective: “As agencies, we often get caught up in media metrics (impressions, clicks) but we need to get better at translating those into metrics that matter to the board, like sales, revenue, and new customer acquisition.”
She explained how Wavemaker supports clients in aligning measurement strategies with broader business objectives, through its PROVE framework which involves a holistic view of metrics, including predictive modeling and conversion studies, to ensure that the value of media investments is clear and linked directly to business performance. “Measurement isn’t just one thing,” she added. “It’s about using the right mix of methods to help tell a growth story.”
Leveraging AI and data: staying ahead of the curve
Tom Greenhalgh, data & measurement lead, Google highlighted the growing role of AI-powered measurement tools and first-party data in closing the gaps left by traditional measurement tools: “In the last few years, tech and regulation changes have been poking holes in the way that we’ve been able to measure. AI, combined with first-party data, is filling in those gaps.”
For effective AI-powered measurement, “AI, when fed with high-quality first-party data, can help us understand customer behaviors faster than ever before,” he added, quoting Jack Welch: “The only true form of competitive advantage is understanding your customers and then being able to act on those insights faster than your competitors.” High-quality first-party data allows AI-powered tools to identify and understand those customers, to be able to find a similar new set of customers.
Greenhalgh underscored the importance of using AI-led marketing tools not just to measure, but to anticipate business needs and position marketing as a vital growth lever. For CMOs, the challenge is to communicate how AI-powered marketing and data-driven insights directly contribute to business outcomes, whether that’s customer acquisition, revenue growth, or enhanced ROI.
Collaboration and speed: minimising ‘time to value’
One of the major takeaways from the session was the importance of fostering collaboration across teams. As Hazbay pointed out, “We created two swim lanes – one for technical problem-solving and one for translating the marketing story into business language.” This approach ensured that while the technical teams were addressing measurement issues, marketing could focus on communicating the broader impact to the board.
Wolfryd also shared a success story with Colgate, where her team focused on driving ROI on YouTube. Through collaboration with Google, they were able to develop new insights into channel performance by analyzing data at a more granular level, allowing the team to make more effective budget allocation and channel strategy decisions. “It was a truly collaborative effort”, she said, highlighting how important it is to break down silos and work as one unified team. Colgate’s ability to break down its data to drive insights and agility in data-led decision-making allowed the brand to reverse its declining performance and drive brand growth.
Metrics for growth: the evolving role of the CMO
As the session drew to a close, the speakers reflected on how the CMO’s role is evolving. Hazbay stressed the importance of continuous learning and adaptation: “The worst thing a CMO can do is think they’re in a good position or that they’ve got it all figured out at any point in time. The digital marketing industry will never cease to change. We need to be proactive and break down the silos between teams to [be able to] act before a change is happening.”
It’s crucial for CMOs to stay on top of changes in the industry by continuously learning and engaging with other departments. “Get the right experts to give you the right information at a high level, but never say, ‘I know enough,’ because it won’t be true in a day, or a week, or a month,” he said.
The overarching message for CMOs is clear: mastering marketing metrics is not just about data, it’s about translating that data into actionable business insights that drive growth. Staying proactive and understanding not just marketing but the broader business and technical environments is crucial.
“Business results are the currency in the boardroom,” said Greenhalgh. “If you can demonstrate that marketing is delivering those results, you’ll not only secure more budget but also elevate marketing’s role as a key driver of business success.”
See more on this article at The Drum