The CFO’s playbook for CMOs: How to lead in an era of economic whiplash 

“I’ve never implemented a cost cut and also served up a reduction in goals as a counter to that.”

That one line from Brandon Sullivan, CFO at 2X, hits like a punch to the gut for enterprise CMOs right now, and it should. 

Amid 2025’s tariff-driven economic turbulence, marketing leaders face dual pressure: tightening budgets and unrelenting growth expectations. Pipeline targets remain. Brand impact still matters. Growth KPIs don’t pause just because your budget does. The question is: How will you respond? 

Brandon offers a candid CFO perspective on how to shift marketing’s perception from discretionary spend to growth engine, especially in a climate shaped by tariff policy shifts and heightened scrutiny on ROI. 

“You can’t pay this quarter’s payroll with badge scans.” 

CFOs aren’t asking how much your campaign cost. They’re asking what it returned. And if your answers sound like “top of funnel exposure,” “share of voice,” or “hit our MQL targets,” you’re about to lose the room. 

What gets cut first? 

• Brand programs with no tangible lift 
• Events that generate MQLs but lack conversion velocity 
• Redundant martech and underutilized tools 

“Hope-based” marketing isn’t defensible. CMOs must translate every initiative into measurable business outcomes, not just impressions and anecdotes. 

“There’s probably very little that is more important than how your customers and prospects and competitors and investors view you in the market,” says Brandon. “But metric attribution is probably foggy at best, especially with the short-term lens on a lot of that stuff.” 

“Flexibility is a strategic weapon.” 

Marketing is absorbing the whiplash of what Brandon calls “aggressive oscillation”—post-pandemic growth, inflation pullbacks, and now tariff shock. 

Understanding how tariffs impact the economy—particularly in sectors like manufacturing, retail, and tech—should inform your resource decisions. For example, the US tech industry tariff impact has implications for outsourced software partnerships, digital infrastructure costs, and global marketing spend. 

In the boom, marketing scales. In austerity, it’s the first on the chopping block. 

That’s why CMOs need flexible, responsive operating models, not wishful thinking. Think: 

• Variable headcount models, not fixed org charts
• Modular vendor relationships, including outsourced marketing services
• Agile budgeting that lets you pull levers when strategy shifts

If your dollars are tied up in tech contracts, rigid org charts, or non-refundable event spend, you’re stuck. And stuck doesn’t work in a volatile market. 

Show up with tiered scenarios and a fast-ramp reinvestment plan. 

To earn the seat at the table, CMOs must deliver more than defense. CFOs want strategic marketers who bring rigor, tradeoff thinking, and an understanding of business risk. The most effective partners: 

• Bring tiered scenarios: What gets cut at 10%, 20%, 30%? What’s the downstream impact? What happens if performance lags? 
• Think in tradeoffs, not just totals: Don’t protect everything. Protect the things that move the business. 
• Have a recovery plan: Because this too shall pass. And when it does, the CMO who can scale fast wins. 

Quick checklist: 5 things your CFO wants from you 

1. Zero-based budget thinking 
   Start from scratch with your reduced budget. What would you rebuild and why? 
2. Tradeoff-driven plans 
   Don’t just defend line items. Show the implications of cuts across pipeline, sales, and brand momentum.
3. Flexible spend portfolio 
   Know what’s fixed, what’s variable, and how quickly you can reallocate. Marketing outsourcing services, like 2X’s flexible subscription-based resourcing model, offer adaptability without permanent overhead.
4. Short-term and long-term ROI 
   Demonstrate impact across immediate KPIs and future growth potential.
5. Fast-ramp reinvestment plan 
   Be ready to seize opportunity when conditions improve. 

Watch the full CFO + CMO conversation 

Catch the full conversation between Brandon Sullivan, CMO Lisa Cole, and marketing transformation veteran Jennifer Ross, where they break down how CMOs should approach cost cuts, AI integration, and org design in 2025. 

Want help scenario-planning your next move? 

In our one-to-one Growth Play workshop, we’ll help you scenario-plan, align your teams, and design a high-impact Growth Play that engages the right stakeholders.