How CMOs can own their seat—and the conversation—in the boardroom

As a CMO, you know the feeling: you finally get your seat in the boardroom, only to find that while others discuss strategy and big-picture growth, you’re left defending marketing’s role rather than being acknowledged as a critical contributor. 

You’re invited to the meeting, but your time on the agenda is either rushed or cut short. Your ideas are heard, but not fully absorbed, and somehow, the focus always veers away from the strategic value marketing brings to the business.

This is the frustrating reality for many of us in the C-suite, where marketing is too often treated as a supporting act rather than the growth engine it truly is.

Why Marketing Keeps Getting Pushed Aside

You’re asked to report on marketing’s contribution, and despite sharing positive metrics like MQLs, campaign performance, and brand visibility, the conversation quickly shifts to sales figures, operational bottlenecks, or financial forecasts.

The disconnect is evident, and it’s an uphill battle that continues to plague the marketing function.

• 43% of marketing leaders say demonstrating ROI is the top challenge they face.¹

• 65% of CMOs feel marketing is not fully valued by the board, even though marketing is responsible for driving growth in most organizations.²

• The percentage of CMOs having their growth goals dictated by the CEO has increased by 222%—from 3.1 to 10%.³

Marketing as a Growth Driver, Not a Support Function

When marketing is perceived to be of less importance, Jennifer Ross, Executive Director of Marketing Strategy at 2X, explains that CMOs and marketing leaders are often just relegated to merely “supporting” everything else.

“I had a seat at the table, but often found that when the CEO would turn to me—during cross-functional initiatives and discussions—all these action items were somewhat administrative in nature.”

“It felt like being invited to Thanksgiving but being seated at the kids’ table.”

Why is marketing still viewed as a support function when it’s the engine driving customer retention, brand growth, and revenue?

Today’s marketing leaders oversee everything from brand awareness to customer retention, making their role integral to the entire business cycle. This shift has elevated CMOs to a more strategic position, but old perceptions die hard.

If we don’t reshape the narrative—if we don’t come to the table with data, insights, and an unshakable business case for marketing’s role in driving sustainable growth—we’ll stay stuck at the kids’ table.

How often do you find yourself presenting vanity metrics while important revenue conversations tied to financial measures pass you by? CMOs must tie every initiative directly to the financial metrics the board cares about: revenue, EBITDA, and market share.

Get Proactive About Meaningful Marketing Impact

One of the most damaging things we can do as marketing leaders is to wait to be called upon or asked to validate our efforts.

The CEO shouldn’t be asking, “What’s marketing doing?” If they are, we’ve already lost.

The best way to avoid this is to proactively bring insights and data to the table—before you’re asked. Customer insights, market trends, and competitor intelligence should be part of every strategic discussion.

When marketing leads with external data, you change the narrative.

Take the buying process, for example. We, as CMOs, have the deepest understanding of our customers’ journeys.

If you walk into the boardroom armed with insights on where prospects get stuck or how long conversion times are across different verticals, you’re no longer a marketing leader. You’re a business strategist. That shift can be game-changing.

When you’re the one bringing fresh insights to the executive team—things like emerging trends in buyer behavior or competitive threats—you suddenly become indispensable.

You’re no longer seen as just the “marketing leader”; you’re the business leader who helps guide strategic decisions.

Owning Your Seat at the Table

The reality is that marketing has earned its seat at the table, but we need to demand a bigger chair.

It’s up to us to reshape the narrative around marketing’s value. By focusing on the broader business impact, bringing market insights that fuel growth, and proving that we’re driving revenue—not just leads—we can firmly establish ourselves as key drivers of the business strategy.

The boardroom can be an intimidating place, especially when the conversation veers away from marketing and into operational or financial details. But we belong there—leading, not following. It’s time to own the boardroom, not just your seat. Show them that marketing is more than metrics—it’s the engine driving business growth.

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We’ve launched a webisode series to help marketing leaders significantly and consistently prove marketing ROI—as discussed by real-time B2B CMOs and marketing veterans.

Here’s what they have to say about marketing being in the perennial “high” chair and what it takes to reposition the function as a significant driver of revenue impact and growth.

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^{1 ‘The State of the CMO: Insights from the Annual Chief Marketing Officer Survey’, CMSWire, 2024}

^{2 ‘CMO Study: Creating a marketing renaissance’, PwC, 2022}

^{3 ‘The Growth CMO Report 2024’, CMO Alliance, 2024}