Three-quarters (75 per cent) of B2B CEOs and senior business leaders don’t believe marketing drives business growth, despite acknowledging it plays an important role in their organisation.
That’s according to The CEO Blind Spot, a report from Propolis, which surveyed 150 UK CEOs and business leaders at B2B organisations to explore how they perceive marketing’s contribution to commercial success.
The report identifies what it describes as the “CEO blind spot“: a tendency for organisations to attribute growth at the point revenue is recognised, while overlooking the months of demand creation and brand building that often make that sale possible.
The findings reveal that 84 per cent see marketing as a support function rather than a commercial growth driver. That perception is reflected in how business leaders compare marketing with sales: 77 per cent believe sales is a bigger driver of growth than marketing, while 67 per cent believe marketing is less accountable for business results than sales.
The research also suggests these perceptions are beginning to influence investment decisions. More than a third (35 per cent) of business leaders believe marketers are being held back at board level because investment is increasingly being directed towards innovation and AI.
Richard O’Connor, CEO of Propolis, said, “Too many CEOs say they value B2B marketing, but our research suggests they still don’t value it as a commercial growth function. If you believe marketing matters but doesn’t drive growth, it’s difficult to argue you’re recognising its full contribution to the business.
“The challenge is that much of marketing’s commercial contribution happens long before revenue appears on a dashboard, making it far less visible than that of functions operating closer to the point of sale. As CEOs face growing pressure to deliver short-term results while increasing investment in AI, there is a real risk that a critical engine of sustainable growth becomes an easy target for budget cuts unless this blind spot is addressed.”
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