B2B Marketing Has A Purpose Problem

According to our recent research, most B2B marketing leaders (96%) see their function as a strategic partner or the primary driver of growth for the business. Yet they believe (47%) that many of their peers see marketing as a support or promotion function that handles sales requests, promotes news, and executes launches. This disconnect, for nearly half of marketing leaders, is not just a perception problem. It reflects a more fundamental issue: Many B2B businesses have never explicitly defined what marketing is supposed to do.

When Marketing’s Mandate Is Unclear

Our client conversations reaffirm that marketing’s role is often assumed rather than intentionally agreed upon. Work gets done, expectations develop, and stakeholders are guided by assumptions based on prior experience, organizational history, and their perceived urgent needs.

As a result, marketing leaders often inherit responsibilities based on what marketing has always done rather than where it can create the most value for the organization. The net effect is often a direct constraint on growth. An unclear mandate diffuses priorities, staffing, investment decisions, capability development, and performance metrics. In this environment, marketing may seek to deliver new value with longer-term strategic growth initiatives (e.g., building brand preference, focused segment prioritization), while peers continue to judge it by activity volume (e.g., events, leads, enablement sessions) and promotional support (e.g., launches, PR).

Defining Marketing’s Purpose Explicitly Is A Catalyst For Clarity And Change

To break this cycle, organizations should define why marketing exists and what it should accomplish. That choice is not only on the shoulders of the CMO but sits squarely with the CEO and the rest of the C-suite, too, because the CMO who blazes a path alone typically ends up alone (i.e., is deemed not a good fit for the organization and exits).

Forrester’s B2B Marketing Purpose Model helps leaders move from implicit assumptions to an explicit choice. It recognizes that not every marketing organization will look the same. Different businesses will have different marketing mandates based on their growth strategy, culture, ways of working, and maturity in understanding what marketing is capable of. The model showcases four purpose zones:

Supporting: improving internal productivity through enablement and operational support of other functions
Promoting: building near-term revenue through promoting news and information to target audiences
Partnering: collaborating across functions to build long-term growth strategies and focus resources for the greatest impact
Driving: accepting direct accountability for growth outcomes and customer value creation

Start With The Conversation Leaders Often Avoid

The first step is to know where marketing operates today. As a CMO, ask yourself and your direct reports: What is marketing’s role in this organization now? What should it be in the future? Use the purpose model as your guide. Then ask the same questions of your CEO, CFO, and sales, product, and customer success leaders. Their answers will likely expose gaps in understanding and expectations that were hidden (perhaps for years). Use those conversations to start to align these stakeholders around marketing’s future contribution to growth and to define success both for today and for the evolved marketing function.

A purposeful shift requires more than a new narrative, though. Metrics, investments, capabilities, and operating models should align with the selected purpose zone. For example, if marketing is to become a strategic growth partner, you can’t measure it like an activity-centric support function.

Purpose First, Growth Second

CEOs often ask marketing to help accelerate growth. Far fewer stop to reflect on what’s needed to drive that outcome. The key question is what role marketing should play in making growth happen and whether the organization is prepared to support that choice, because clarity of purpose drives alignment, alignment improves accountability, and accountability creates the conditions for greater business impact.

Forrester clients can explore more in the report, Introducing The B2B Marketing Purpose Model. Schedule a guidance session to discuss how your organization can better define and evolve marketing’s purpose.