For many CMOs, it’s the moment that defines their mettle, and perhaps the true future of marketing within their organization. It’s the meeting with the CFO.
Not to review spending. Not to justify a line item. But to make a case: a compelling, data-informed, business-minded case that brand is not just a marketing concept, but a core driver of enterprise value.
At the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), we’ve reimagined the brand practice around one core truth: Brand is not fluff. Brand is not veneer. Brand is strategy. The companies that internalize this truth are the ones that outperform in the market, in valuation, and in consumer loyalty over time.
So when the CMO sits across the table from the CFO, here’s how they should show up: as a business partner, not a budget requester.
Step 1: Start With the Language of Value Creation
Brand marketers love the language of storytelling, equity, and emotional connection, and rightly so. But a CFO operates in the language of return, margins, and asset performance.
So translate.
- Don’t say “brand love”; say customer preference and price elasticity.
- Don’t say “awareness”; say market penetration.
- Don’t say “brand refresh”; say asset optimization.
Remember, brand is an asset… sometimes the most valuable one a company owns. In fact, in many Fortune 500 companies, brand value constitutes more than 20% of total market capitalization. If your CFO cares about assets under management, remind them that the brand is one they already own, and one whose value can be grown with intention.
Step 2: Present Brand as a Multiplier of Business Performance
Brand doesn’t exist apart from business performance - it amplifies it. As the ANA’s own research and leading industry voices like WARC, Kantar, and the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute have shown, the most effective campaigns – those that drive long-term sales growth - are those that build both brand and demand.
Show how investment in brand strengthens:
- Pricing power (enabling you to sell at premium vs. discount),
- Customer acquisition cost (lower CAC through brand familiarity),
- LTV (longer-term customer retention through emotional loyalty), and
- Employee productivity (through internal alignment on mission and values).
Step 3: Demonstrate Measurement Maturity
CFOs are trained to be skeptical of things that can’t be measured.
Good.
Meet them there. Show them that brand can be measured, and that modern marketers are doing it more rigorously than ever before.
From brand equity tracking to econometric modeling, from brand valuation frameworks to advanced MMM and MTA integrations, bring the receipts.
Don’t just say, “Trust me, it matters.” Say, “Here’s the data that shows our brand work last year lifted total revenue by X%, and here’s how that breaks down by channel and campaign.”
Step 4: Align on Strategic Horizon
CFOs often manage quarterly pressures. CMOs need to balance that with long-term brand health.
But here’s the insight: brand is the ultimate long-term growth engine.
Short-termism is tempting: especially in uncertain economic climates. But the most successful companies know how to build for both the next quarter and the next decade.
If you can align with your CFO on a shared understanding of both time horizons - and show how brand investment now leads to compounding returns - you earn credibility not as a dreamer but as a strategic investor in the business.
Step 5: Be Their Partner in Risk Management
Brand is not just about aspiration. It’s also about protection.
A strong brand can protect the company from reputational risk. It can defend market share in a downturn. It can help stabilize pricing even when competitors race to the bottom.
Your CFO manages financial risk. Let them know you’re managing reputational and competitive risk. And that brand is your tool to do it.
In Closing: Brand as a Boardroom Priority
A modern CMO must be a growth strategist, not just a marketing tactician. And a CFO who embraces brand as a business asset becomes a more holistic steward of enterprise value.
This is the moment to elevate the conversation. Not about spending, but about investment. Not about perception, but about performance.
Because at the end of the day, brand isn’t just what people think of you.
It’s what they’re willing to pay for.
It’s why they choose you.
And it’s the most scalable competitive advantage a company can build.
So bring the numbers. Bring the vision. And make the case with confidence.
Brand is valuable. It’s your job to prove it.
Posted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership self-publishing platform.
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The opinions expressed here are the author's views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillage.org/MyersBizNet.