The perception of the strategic impact of marketing is positively evolving. More and more Financial Directors that consider marketing as an essential force in long -term growth, although they differ from Marketing directors in the effects in the short term and in profitability. And this is mainly due to a lack of alignment in objectives and priorities.

This concludes Google In a recently published report and prepared next to the research firm Newtonx and the consultant The Project X Initiative. The analysis was carried out between July and August of last year between 250 cmos, CFOs, and seniors of marketing and finance of great advertisers in the United Kingdom and Germany.

According to study data, practically the same proportion of financial directors (89%) and marketing directors (90%) consider marketing as a key to the long -term development, But the differences can be appreciated to a lesser extent for the profitability 81% vs 88%), and especially in Immediate results (75% vs 84%).

Priority gap

The gap originates mainly in the Difference of priorities. While CFOs are subject to budgetary restrictions and the pressure to inform of quarterly results, CMOS must boost short -term income and build sustained growth through the brand. The disconnection, often marked by the deadlines, determines the budget allocation and frequent review of marketing investment, which makes it look as an operational expense.

The report indicates that the main priority for the 2024-2025 exercise of the marketing directors surveyed is the Brand construction (48%), followed by Long Plaz Growthor (39%) and Increase in profitability (36%). On the other hand, the latter is the priority for financial directors (45%), together with the growth of long term (37%) and the tDigital ransformation and the commitment to artificial intelligence (32%).

To align visions, the CFOS and CMOS would get better results. However, as indicated by the survey, one of the main Barriers is the perception of collaboration between both areas. For example, 71% of finance managers believe that budget setting is collaborative, compared to 67% of marketing directors. On the other hand, 68% of the CFOs believe that both departments share data and insights on a regular basis, compared to 48% who thinks the same.

According to those responsible for the report, the figures suggest that The Finance Department is often considered more involved In marketing decision making of what CMOS perceive, and that the CFOS constantly qualify the level of collaboration in a much more positive way than marketing leaders. This is inferred that the relationship is often focused on financial control instead of being a true strategic association.

In addition, one of the outstanding findings of the study can be seen in the section of the tools and processes established for bring marketing and finance areas. Thus, the least used mechanism is the joint evaluation of the efficacy of the campaigns and the joint development of Kpis.

While CMO and CFOs may not directly evaluate the performance of individual campaigns, they are responsible for jointly creating the framework that makes such evaluation possible. This means Align objectives, define clear success metrics, share data and guarantee that there are rigorous test and measurement systems. However, research shows that many companies lack these elements, which makes it much harder to generate a genuine understanding between marketing and finance.

Coordination optimization

This implies that the main opportunity to boost collaboration between the CFOS and the CMOS is in the CRelation of clear ROI measurement methods that reflect the objectives of both teams. The standardization of these metrics will help CMO demonstrate the broader marketing contributions (such as brand value and loyalty) in terms that resonate with the CFOs, while providing both parties for a shared framework for decision making .
There is also margin of improvement with the joint establishment of kpis, Alignment of objectives and the development of tools to measure the long -term impact.

However, respondents also appreciate alignment possibilities between areas in the Data management and artificial intelligence. They understand that technology offers opportunities to improve performance, boost efficiency and foster innovation. However, there are also differences in perception: while CMOS believe that AI can help build deeper connections with customers, favor segmentation and customization; The CFOS believe that it will help in the predictive analysis and the creation and healing of content.

However, there are concerns, especially among financial directors, about the quality and fragmentation of data and integration of these. Optimizing these issues will depend that marketing professionals can access insights in real time and more precise attribution models, improving their ability to demonstrate the return on investment of short -term short -term campaigns.

Marketing-Finanzas collaboration tips

In order to achieve greater collaboration between the areas of finance and marketing, the report includes a series of recommendations and practical advice:

• Generate confidence through open and transparent communicationattainable through periodic meetings and regular sharing of value information
• Establish Kpis together to align priorities and build a common framework for assessing yields
• Adopt Dynamic Budget Models To optimize marketing investment and direct resources towards initiatives that really promote growth and profitability
• Adopt a balanced and profitable approach to Measure efficiency of marketing both in the short term and in the long
• Establish one Unified strategy regarding artificial intelligencethat is aligned with the business objectives
• Build one Shared data and information platform that favors collaboration, eliminates work by silos and allows the scalability of artificial intelligence
• Promote knowledgerespectively, of the idiosyncrasy of marketing and finance work, through the understanding of methodologies, decision -making processes and metrics.

More info.: Google – Profitable Unlocking Growth