In a recent podcast episode, we discussed the challenging landscape that CMOs face, often leading to short tenure and marketing being relegated to a tactical position. But as this article by CIM Fellow Matt Thompson explores, many of these issues not only impact the CMO but the entire organisation’s perception of marketing. The stark reality of marketing's boardroom representation raises many questions, chief among which should be, isn’t it about time marketing reclaimed its strategic position?

Marketing Week's 2025 Career & Salary Survey revealed that 73% of CMOs believe their businesses undervalue marketing strategy. This strategic disconnect isn't an anomaly; for the third consecutive year, the survey identifies marketing strategy as the most undervalued function by peers.

This situation demands immediate and prioritised attention from all professionals within our discipline. This underrepresentation not only jeopardises business growth and the unrealised strategic potential of marketing but also hinders individual career advancement and salaries. Fundamentally, it signals a need for a significant shift in our approach and priorities to ensure the proper development and recognition of our field.

How marketing lost its voice

Over the past decade, marketing has suffered a self-inflicted decline, descending into tactical quicksand by:

• Overemphasis on digital metrics: An unhealthy fixation on quantifiable digital data has overshadowed broader strategic considerations.
• Shift from insight to measurement: The focus has drifted from generating strategic insights to merely tracking tactical metrics.
• Prioritising tools over growth: An excessive emphasis on impressions, ROI, and technical platforms has come at the expense of fundamental business growth drivers.

The pervasive focus on all things digital in today's marketing landscape has diverted attention from crucial strategic pillars such as brand development, customer lifecycle management, market insight, enterprise value creation, product strategy, competitive analysis, and sustainable business growth.

The accelerating rise of AI, new technologies, and automation further exacerbates this risk. The current tactical trajectory could lead to the automation of core "marketing" functions, accelerating the decline of the discipline's relevance and potentially resulting in redundancies.

While AI undeniably will automate numerous marketing tasks and may impact some entry-level roles, it will not render strategic marketing roles obsolete. Instead, AI will augment the capabilities of human marketers, empowering them with advanced data analysis, content creation, copywriting, and personalisation. The essential human elements of creativity, strategic thinking, and building meaningful internal and customer relationships will remain indispensable.   

Furthermore, marketing departments have absorbed a multitude of new responsibilities, including social media campaigns, market research, digital and direct marketing, advertising, public relations, and acting as the voice of the customer. Regrettably, many organisations treat these vital additions as mere operational tasks rather than integrating them into a cohesive and overarching strategy.   

What can we do to reclaim marketing's strategic position?

Digital marketing should be a critical component of the marketing story but never the entire story itself. By adding the "digital" prefix to marketing roles, we've inadvertently made them inherently tactical.

Effective marketing requires a three-part approach, with each part consuming roughly one-third of marketing resources:

1. Strategic diagnosis: Begin with a customer and market-oriented assessment of business challenges. Ask: Where will sustainable growth and profit come from? What barriers must we overcome? Analyse and understand the competitive landscape. Crucially, also include the internal audience in this phase, exploring what is critical to operations, finance, HR, legal and technology on their side of the table. Unify behind the business plan, with the marketing strategy and plan a vital and completely aligned part.
2. Marketing strategy development: Based on this diagnosis, develop a comprehensive, clear and purpose-driven marketing strategy that aligns with the broader business objectives built on meaningful customer connections and meeting the internal priorities of the other key functions in the organisation.

3. Tactical execution: Only after completing the first two steps should a tactical plan of coherent actions be implemented, where digital marketing will play a crucial but proportional role.

The expertise gap: A foundation under threat

A startling revelation further complicates the issue: less than 30% of marketing professionals possess formal training in the discipline. This significant knowledge deficit has contributed to the technology-driven panic, weakened strategic thinking and decision-making, and consequently diminished marketing's credibility at the boardroom level.

CIM have developed the Global Professional Marketing Framework, a skills and behaviours-based framework that sets the industry standard. This framework forms the foundation for a robust approach, defining what it takes to be a competent, proficient, and relevant marketer. 

Current training needs must also reflect the evolving realities of the field. Historically viewed as a predominantly creative function, the rise of sophisticated analytics and the imperative to communicate in the financial language of the business plan have led many CMOs to prioritise data and numbers, sometimes at the expense of traditional marketing skills. With empathy and customer understanding increasingly critical, CMOs must cultivate a data-driven mindset within themselves, their teams, and across other functions, without sacrificing the essential creative spark.

Reclaiming marketing's strategic role: What marketers should be doing now

The path forward is clear: marketing must return to its fundamental purpose of deeply understanding, proactively anticipating, and effectively fulfilling customer needs. Simultaneously, it must actively engage internal stakeholders to ensure these customer-centric priorities are shared and that a clear and unwavering alignment exists between the business and marketing strategies. By embracing this dual focus, marketing can reclaim its strategic importance and become an indispensable driver of sustainable business growth and enduring financial success.

The true future of marketing lies not solely in the realm of technology and digital innovation, but also in the profound understanding of fundamental human needs and the unique ways in which businesses can authentically address them.

Do you want to have your voice heard in the boardroom? Learn how to use leadership skills to succeed at a strategic level in the CIM Strategic Leadership for Marketers training course. It will provide practical insights into effective senior leadership in a challenging corporate environment.

Book your place on the leadership course here