Ecom Leaders: CFO-approved digital marketing

How can marketing and finance speak the same language when measuring growth? At this Ecom Leaders seminar, we shared practical frameworks to align the CMO and CFO around data, value, and long-term business impact.

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Ecom Leaders: CFO-approved digital marketing

At this Ecom Leaders seminar, we explored how marketing leaders can strengthen collaboration with their CFOs under the theme “CFO-approved digital marketing”.

Together with industry peers, we discussed how to validate marketing’s impact, align on financial expectations, and build a shared understanding between marketing, finance, and leadership.

The conversation focused on balancing short-term growth with long-term brand value, applying modern measurement frameworks, and driving more productive internal discussions between the CMO, CFO, and CEO.

Here are the key takeaways:

1. Bridging the gap between the CMO and CFO

Many companies struggle to connect Finance and Marketing. CFOs rely on financial accuracy and bottom-line results, while CMOs speak in brand metrics that often feel intangible. Building a shared language is essential. When marketing links its performance directly to business outcomes, it earns credibility and helps drive smarter growth decisions.

2. Finding balance in the marketing mix

Sustainable growth comes from balance. Heavy focus on short-term performance activities often leads to rising costs and stagnating sales. A mix that combines performance and brand building, typically with around 60% dedicated to brand, creates stronger long-term returns and healthier profit margins.

3. Using Share of Search as a financial metric

Share of Search (SoS) gives marketing a tangible way to measure brand strength. It tracks how visible a brand is compared to competitors and correlates closely with future market share. By assigning a financial value to brand searches, marketing can clearly demonstrate how brand investments contribute to revenue across all channels.

4. The issue of fragmented reporting

Marketing data often lives in silos. Ad platforms, analytics tools and P&L reports rarely tell the same story. This inconsistency erodes trust and complicates decision-making. Establishing a shared measurement framework helps ensure that reported results reflect the actual business performance that matters to the CFO.

5. Focus on Unified Marketing Measurement (UMM)

Unified Marketing Measurement combines multiple approaches to provide one consistent view of marketing performance. Multi-Touch Attribution, Incrementality Testing and Marketing Mix Modelling each reveal a different part of the truth. When used together, and supported by tools like Pulse and open-source models such as Meridian, they give brands a reliable basis for budget allocation and strategy.