Business growth is No. 1

Read more about the 2024 Global Marketer of the Year jury here.

Balaji Sampath, Senior Vice President, Marketing at Infosys, was among those who said business growth should always be No. 1 for marketers.

“I believe this criterion is important as it involves understanding the market, identifying opportunities, and developing effective strategies to increase revenue and market share. It's about ensuring that marketing efforts directly align with the overall business objectives and contribute to the company's long-term success,” he said.

Mikimasa Hamamatsu, Division General Manager, Global Brand Strategy & Marketing Engagement at Nissan, echoed that sentiment:

“At the end of everything we do in marketing, it has to ultimately drive the business. Market dynamics is becoming ever more complex, and the role of marketing is crucial in how we tackle key business challenges and drive growth. Especially serving as a function that can draw insights and execute with creativity."

That viewpoint was echoed by Valeria Abadi, Senior Vice President Brand Global at Globant.

“The fundamental objective of Marketing is to drive business growth. Whether it’s through increasing market share, boosting revenue, or enhancing brand equity, growth is the ultimate measure of marketing success. It’s the clearest indicator of a marketer’s effectiveness and helps the business sustainability in the long term,” she said.

Ademorayo A Apara, Senior MSE Brand Strategy, Budget Planning & Special Projects, First Bank of Nigeria, agreed that business growth is the way that marketers demonstrate value.

“Contribution to business growth has become increasingly important that marketers are able to demonstrate the impact of marketing ingenuity and creativity on the bottom line. The numbers always matter,” she said.

Marcus Collins, Professor & Author from the University of Michigan, argued that business growth was the only metric capable of determining whether marketing was changing behaviour.

“Marketing is the act of going to market in an effort to drive behavioural adoption. Therefore, when we’re appraising the best marketers across the globe, the buck must stop with their influence on behavioural adoption which is realized by the performance of the business,” he said.

Sandra Grieden, Director Communications Strategy & Chief of Staff CCO & SVP Marketing & Comms, IBM, took a more nuanced approach, arguing that business growth should be the goal, because it also gave marketers the power to drive change in other areas.

“Driving initiatives that contribute to business growth is our function’s ultimate North Star. The three other criteria are needed in support but we will only get permission to act if we drive the business growth we are deemed responsible for."

That sense that business growth gives marketing permission to deliver in other areas was echoed by Ian Malcolm, President & CEO at Lumency.

“While the other criteria—developing talent, delivering innovation, and demonstrating industry leadership—are important, they all converge on the central objective of driving business growth. In an ever-evolving landscape, growth remains the definitive measure of a marketer's impact and success,” he said.

WFA CEO Stephan Loerke was another caveating the role of business growth as part of a bigger picture. “Ultimately, sustainable growth should be the top priority for any marketer – that means growth but not at any cost,” he said.

“Winning CMOs are those who truly invest in themselves and their wider teams’ skills and capabilities. Inspiring and empowering diverse talent throughout their global marketing organisations is the best way to unleash the power of effective marketing. This mix will ensure they deliver stand-out creativity and innovation and help their organisations succeed.”

Traci Alford, Global CEO at Effie Worldwide, said all four criteria were important even if business growth sat at No. 1.

“Global marketing leaders cannot effectively deliver growth without developing the right talent and equipping them with the right capabilities; innovation and creativity are also vital for growth but must be clearly linked to a specific objective or outcome; and demonstrating industry leadership in relation to Diversity & Inclusion and the environment affirm a marketer’s and brand’s commitment to sustainable growth."

Edmund Gemmell, Group Marketing Director, Kantar, put it more bluntly; without business growth marketers wouldn’t get to address other areas.

“You have to contribute to business growth to have a chance of doing the other stuff,” he warned.

Adrian Terron, Head, Corporate Brand & Marketing Strategy, TATA , took a different tack, warning that without the right talent and capabilities marketers wouldn’t be able to achieve their other goals, including growth.

“The No. 1 goal should be to develop talent and capabilities within their marketing organisations; because it encompasses the ability to accelerate everything else on this list.”