Marketing has never been more commercially important. Marketers shape and power growth, influence behaviour and help organisations navigate change. And yet, as Sophie asked at the start of the conversation, “If marketing is so powerful, why does it struggle so badly with its own reputation?”
That question prompted a thoughtful and, at times, challenging discussion amongst over 150 The Marketing Society members from around the world. What emerged was not frustration, but a collective opportunity to reset how marketing shows up inside organisations.A recurring theme was the increasing `financialisation' of decision-making. Marketing is often judged narrowly, line by line, on short-term cost, while much of the value it creates unfolds over time. Marketing’s impact doesn’t end in an accounting year. As Rory observed:
“We (marketers) are held accountable for every penny we spend but only allowed to lay claim to a small percentage of the upside.”
Rory Sutherland
In that context, a discipline built on insight, behaviour, creativity and discovery can easily be misunderstood.
Covid may have made things worse as it demanded speed, rapid decisions and impact and in many organisations that urgency may have hardened into habit. Short-term metrics, quick wins and immediate proof is prevalent in conversation that I have, and often at the expense of longer-term thinking, experimentation and customer-led insight. As Kate said” we need to double down on the value of an idea and what its impact is across the whole customer journey”
The discussion was also honest about marketing’s and agencies’ own roles. By focusing too heavily on tools, jargon or surface-level metrics, have we unintentionally narrowed perceptions of our value. The conversation pointed towards a few clear shifts that are needed.
What needs to change
Shift focus
Shift communication focus from what we do and outputs to how marketers think - particularly about customers, risk, opportunity, and long-term value.
Grow confidence
Develop more confidence to own the full marketing mix, not just communications, and align with the business's growth ambition.
Elevate the customer
Create space at the top of organisations for genuine customer perspective through customer boards, direct exposure to insight, or different kinds of conversations altogether.
The conversation felt less like a critique of marketing, and more like a moment of collective clarity. Marketing’s value hasn’t diminished but how we articulate it must evolve.
Another Members' perspective
Jessica Schroeder, Head of Corporate Communications & Government Relations, Middle East & Egypt, joined the Global Conversation; so much of it resonated with her, particularly in the scientific sector she works in.
"I loved Rory’s point about small behavioural changes creating big impact! It really hit me because in B2B (especially in a chemistry/engineering environment) people often believe only the product matters, “The science sells itself.” But what Rory reminded me of is that how people think, feel and decide matters just as much, even in the most technical industries. Sometimes even more.
Becoming a translator
For me, the session made it even more clear about something I live every day: in B2B marketing only works if you become a really good translator. When you’re surrounded by chemists, engineers and technical experts, the gap between how they see the world and what we do in marketing is huge... They speak in formulas and specifications and we speak in humans, behaviour, value and emotion. And unfortunately, many think what we do is unnecessary or ‘fluffy’. So the only way to reach them is to speak their language first: business language, problem-solution language, efficiency and risk language and THEN bring in the marketing magic.
The breakout sessions made this even more personal for me, e.g. listening to others talk about leadership teams who don’t fully understand the impact of marketing, or who cut corners because ‘it’s just promotion’ felt very familiar. But it also reminded me that showing results (even small ones) changes minds more than any explanation ever will.
So all in all… Yes, we have to translate more!! And remind ourselves of what we bring to the table: insight, reframing, creativity and understanding of human behaviour, which is exactly what many technical environments are missing. And that’s where our real value lies!"
