Marketing leadership is not a deliverable
When rushed CEOs and other C-suite leaders try to cut corners with marketing, the line between tactical execution and strategic guidance can sometimes get blurred. Hoping for a quick solution to marketing problems and needs, company execs may look to familiar marketing agencies to fill a leadership void. And there the trouble begins.
Agencies are expert at producing videos, managing social media calendars, writing blogs—all crucial tasks. But, in the absence of a dedicated marketing leader or strategy, the C-suite may also ask an agency to “handle” the CMO function, as if it could be just another deliverable.
Let’s be clear: The fact that a firm is coordinating all of your marketing tasks does not mean they can or should act as your marketing leader. They are both essential but hugely different roles.
Strategic marketing leadership—true CMO-level thinking—is about owning the intersection of customer insight, company strategy, and market opportunity. It’s about making hard decisions, aligning teams, and being accountable for outcomes. The CMO is the person who works with the CEO and others to craft a strategic vision for marketing, and then guides the marketing agency as it executes aspects of that vision.
Marketing leadership looks upstream, asking:
Who exactly are we targeting – and are we missing important audiences?
Why are we losing deals?
What market shifts are we not capitalizing on?
How do we compare to competitors – in products and messages?
How do we reposition to win?
To focus on these types of questions, the head of a marketing agency might well be taking their eyes off of the most important tasks on their plate: Making sure the LinkedIn posts are scheduled properly or the podcasts edited and launched on time.
There are a few issues that can underlie the tendency to hand off marketing guidance to the wrong people.
To those who have never worked with a true leader of CMO, marketing may just seem like a series of activities to be lined up and then checked off.
Marketing is sometimes viewed as a “cost center,” rather than a growth engine – so investing in a marketing lead may seem like an unnecessary investment.
When internal stakeholders – often salespeople and even the CEO – have been acting as a de facto marketing department, they may have mixed feelings about fully letting go of their “side hustle.” The truth is they do not have time to do justice to all that marketing should be delivering, and being liberated from this added responsibility will make their lives infinitely easier.
More is possible – and essential
If you’re a CEO or sales leader, it is truly in your interest to make sure marketing is led, not just done. You wouldn’t ask your finance software provider to act as your CFO. You wouldn’t let your outsourced recruiter define your org chart. Why treat marketing any differently?
Hire or appoint a leader who owns the strategy. Someone who can guide agencies, vendors, and internal teams with clarity and purpose. Someone who speaks the language of revenue and customer lifetime value, not just impressions and clicks.
Because when marketing is led well, everything else becomes more effective. When you engage someone who owns the strategy and the strategic vision, you move from simple deliverables to
greater accountability and efficiency
consistent brand positioning
sustained cross-functional communication
faster and smarter decision making
Want to learn how a CMO can guide your planning and execution? Contact me today at this email.
David Stanton is CEO and founder of The Marketing Solver. He brings over 20 years of marketing and communications leadership to every fractional CMO engagement.