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In our recent study, The Marketing ROI Rift, we uncovered that more than half (54%) of business leaders in the UK and Ireland see marketing as a cost-centre for their organisation rather than a revenue generator, with one-in-five (20%) admitting they’ve interacted with their senior marketers only once in the last month.
Despite this, the study - which canvassed the opinions of senior marketers and business leaders in the UK on the collaboration between the two departments - found that one-third (34%) of the business leaders admit that the poor communication between senior leadership and marketing is costing their business financially.
The ROI Disconnect
The disconnect between marketing and leadership may stem from ROI concerns, with almost half (48%) of the marketers surveyed agreeing that demonstrating long-term impact from their marketing spend is their biggest hurdle. Additionally, 59% of marketers agree that CEOs do not understand the importance of brand building and would rather value tangible revenue growth, highlighting the need for marketers to better communicate the balance between short-term performance with long-term brand building to drive sustainable business growth.
This lack of alignment appears to foster mistrust, with 45% of marketers believing misalignment on strategic direction is what fuels senior leadership doubts about marketing’s contribution to long-term business growth, while 28% said that poor communication has caused them to miss lead generation targets. Four-fifths (79%) of the marketers surveyed believe that having a CEO with a marketing background would help them bridge the gap between sales and marketing.
“A lack of alignment between marketing and C-Suite is by no means a new phenomenon - especially in today's complex marketing and advertising landscape. However with so many performance-based marketing measurement solutions available, this doesn't have to be the case. There are tools and solutions that can demonstrate long term results such as awareness, as well as short term metrics including direct ROI,” says Stu Lunn, Group Managing Director, KINESSO UK&I.
“When marketers are sidelined from strategy, their ability to deliver and demonstrate meaningful ROI is severely limited. To drive sustainable growth, we need to bring marketers into the boardroom - backed by hard data and insights - to clearly communicate initiatives for informed buy-ins. Transparent business direction equips marketing teams to deliver long-term growth,” he adds.
So what's next?
The Marketing ROI Rift Study reveals a persistent disconnect between marketing and senior leadership - leading to misalignment and missed opportunities. But it doesn’t have to be this way. With the right data and strategy, marketers can break down these barriers and prove their impact.
In the coming weeks KINESSO UK&I will release the full findings from The Marketing Rift ROI study, along with actionable solutions to help marketers demonstrate both short and long-term business value they deliver.
Want first access to the full report? Drop us a line, and we’ll send it straight to your inbox.
Research note:
The survey was collected in partnership with Sapio Research between December 2024 to January 2025. It was conducted among 150 respondents from the UK, 100 marketing decision makers, and 50 members of senior leadership teams.