Marketing should serve the business, not the other way around. Yet it can become a distraction when it consumes leadership mindshare without delivering proportionate value.
Signs that marketing is a distraction include: endless debates about creative while ignoring positioning; chasing new platforms instead of fixing product issues; and measuring success by activity rather than outcome.
In these situations, marketing becomes theater. The antidote is to reconnect marketing with strategy. Define what “success” means in terms of revenue, reputation and resilience. Empower marketers with clear priorities and remove unnecessary noise.
When marketing focuses on amplifying the right things, it stops being a shiny object and becomes a disciplined asset.
