How CMOs Can Overcome the Disconnects that Persist Within the C-Suite

The relationship between CEOs, CFOs and CMOs remains one of the most complex dynamics in the C-suite, marked by rising friction, unclear expectations and misalignment around marketing’s role in driving growth. Recent studies from McKinsey, Gartner and others reveal that CEOs increasingly question marketing’s strategic value, with only a third feeling aligned with their CMO on how marketing drives revenue. Many view the role as tactical rather than integral to business planning, and short CMO tenures reinforce perceptions of instability and limited influence.

CMOs, for their part, can sometimes struggle to effectively demonstrate how brand-building and other longer-term strategies translate into measurable business outcomes. Yet, when marketing and finance collaborate – linking campaigns to P&L drivers, using shared ROI metrics and articulating marketing’s impact in business terms – companies see significant financial upside. Ultimately, the most successful CMOs redefine their role from “brand steward” to “growth architect,” bridging the language gap between marketing and commerce to earn lasting credibility and influence at the leadership table.

VAB was interested in gaining a deeper understanding of these C-Suite dynamics therefore, earlier this year, we asked 200 brand marketers about their KPIs and the goals that their executive management has set forth for their organizations. Our custom survey shows that when disconnects exist in the C-Suite, they often stem from short-term pressures and strategic alignment challenges which reinforces how critical it is for CMOs to demonstrate the value of brand-building and longer-term strategies in ways that resonate with CEOs and CFOs.

In their own words, based on an open-ended question we asked in our survey, marketers across all business sizes and product category purchasing cycles felt the disconnects they experience can be attributed to at one of several reasons:

• Short-Term vs Long-Term Focus – “KPIs prioritize short-term sales over long-term brand building.”
• Misalignment Between Departments – “Finance, sales and marketing have different priorities.”
• Measurement Challenges – “KPIs focus on media efficiency rather than actual sales outcomes.”
• Leadership & Organizational Gaps – “Marketing is seen as a cost center rather than a growth driver.”
• Unrealistic Goals & Budget Cuts – “Budgets get cut when business slows, even if brand building is needed.”
• Technology & Data Limitations – “Lack of long-term data retention for measuring brand impact.”
• Compensation & Incentives – “Employee incentives are tied to short-term performance, discouraging long-term thinking.”
• Consumer Buying Behavior – “Decision-makers don’t account for the long conversion timelines and multiple touchpoints needed to convert customers.”

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As you can see, these disconnects can be both tactical and structural. As we learned through our marketer survey, smaller businesses tend to face more immediate operational hurdles, while larger organizations often contend with entrenched silos, multiple stakeholder agendas and resistance to shifting away from legacy approaches.

When asked how they would reshape their KPI frameworks, marketers across company sizes pointed to a stronger focus on customer retention, lifetime value and brand health, signaling a shift from instant campaign feedback toward measures that better demonstrate how marketing drives long-term growth across the full customer journey.

Translating Marketing Strategies into Business Impact Proof Points for CEOs, CFOs and other C-Suite Stakeholders

Our guide, Keeping Up With the KPIs, provides playbooks for small, medium and large businesses to help marketers navigate these pressures, align what they measure with what drives growth and deliver proof points that resonate with CEOs, CFOs and the broader C-Suite.

For small businesses, the key is to simplify measurement and focus on KPIs that clearly link awareness to sales. With smaller teams and tighter budgets, it is critical to choose partners who can deliver precision targeting, high quality content and cost-efficient performance. Recent VAB attribution analyses such as Breaking Through and A Commanding Presence provide strategies to help marketers make this case.

Medium-sized companies can strike a stronger balance between brand equity and ROI. Their KPI mix should track both brand health and customer lifetime value alongside short-term outcomes. Adaptable partners that can scale successful strategies and optimize for both perception and conversion are essential. VAB guides including Best in Show and The Consumer Connection serve as playbooks to guide this balance.

Large, enterprise-level organizations should align KPIs with long-term profitability and brand equity while ensuring buy-in from executive and financial leadership. Transparent reporting, premium environments and measurement across the full funnel help demonstrate how brand building contributes to sustained growth. VAB’s popular marketer’s guide entitled The Power of Premium Video, released earlier this year, is a resource that supports this case at the executive leadership level.

No matter their business size or product category, marketers expect certain delivery from their media partners beyond achieving the agreed upon impressions. They value precision targeting, brand safe environments, transparent reporting and attribution that ties media exposure to business results. This has become even more important as budgets face greater scrutiny and every investment is expected to show measurable value. Much of the expertise and data already exist within marketing teams, but the next step is ensuring those insights are translated in ways that CEOs and CFOs can use them to fully understand the marketing levers that are propelling performance. By doing this, marketing will be properly recognized as a catalyst for growth and accountability which will help further guide future decisions from CEOs and CFOs