An insights leaders' guide to driving business impact with the CMO

Consumer insights leaders play a pivotal role in enabling CMOs to deliver measurable business impact. 

When the two come together, it’s a true win-win for the business. Florencia Ardissone, Head of Product and Analytics at J.P. Morgan Payments, highlights how consumer insights can reveal new business opportunities: "​Identifying patterns such as frequent shopping overlaps can suggest new product lines or partnerships, enhancing foot traffic and sales."

By fostering collaboration and aligning with marketing leadership, insights teams can elevate their strategic value and influence within the organization. By collaborating and aligning with insights leadership, marketing teams can make more informed decisions about their next big campaign, based on what resonates with their target consumer.

"​Strong, respectful relationships between CMOs and other c-suite members foster understanding of long-term brand investments' power."

- Sherilyn Shackell, CEO, The Marketing Academy

In this article, I’ll walk through five ways insights leaders can drive greater business impact with marketing leadership by their side, as well as some actionable steps to get there.

Why it matters

The success of business transformation efforts significantly improves with strong CEO support. 

A Roboyo study found that when the CEO and CIO (Chief Insights Officer) are fully aligned, digital transformation success rates exceed 70%, compared to 50% when the CEO is only passively engaged. Similarly, a McKinsey report indicates that companies with active C-suite sponsorship are 1.5 times more likely to achieve their transformation objectives.

Action steps

• Collaborate with the CMO: Partner with the CMO to present the strategic value of consumer insights in transformation initiatives to the CEO and other executives.

• Craft a unified narrative: Ensure insights and marketing teams present a cohesive story about the role of data-driven decisions in achieving business goals.

• Pilot success stories: Showcase early wins through small-scale projects to gain buy-in for larger transformation efforts. For example, insights-led pilot programs can deliver a 15-20% increase in campaign ROI, according to Bain & Company.

• Develop leadership advocacy: Create opportunities for the CEO to champion insights-driven initiatives, such as presenting findings in board meetings or stakeholder reviews.

Why it matters

Collaboration between marketing and insights teams drives significant performance improvements. 

According to Think with Google, 93% of marketers agree that cross-functional collaboration is essential for driving better outcomes. Additionally, a study by Forrester revealed that organizations with integrated marketing and insights functions report 1.4 times faster decision-making.

Action steps

• Embed insights upstream: Engaging insights teams early in the marketing planning process helps marketing ensure campaigns are grounded in robust consumer data. This approach reduces wasted spend by up to 30% according to a study by Harvard Business Review.

• Centralize data with local proximity: Create centralized systems for insights access while maintaining flexibility for local markets to adapt strategies. Centralized insights teams are 40% more effective in driving consistent brand messaging across geographies according to Deloitte.

• Facilitate cross-functional collaboration: Build bridges between brand managers and creative teams to align strategies and execution. Encourage regular joint workshops or strategy sessions to foster alignment and shared goals.

• Leverage advanced analytics tools: Use predictive analytics platforms to create a seamless feedback loop, ensuring marketing adjustments are based on real-time insights.

Why it matters

Customer-centric businesses outperform their peers significantly. 

Research by Deloitte shows that customer-focused companies are 60% more profitable than their competitors. Furthermore, a PwC study found that 73% of executives believe elevating the consumer voice increases organizational agility.

Action steps

• Create a "Voice of the Consumer" task force: Partner with the CMO to establish a dedicated team that amplifies consumer insights across the organization. As an added bonus, task force initiatives have been shown to increase customer satisfaction scores by 25% according to a study by Gartner.

• Communicate consumer trends to executives: Regularly share insights on consumer behavior and preferences to keep decision-makers informed. Include quarterly "state of the consumer" reports to provide actionable insights.

• Use data to build empathy: Develop storytelling frameworks that humanize data and make it relatable for all organizational levels. Incorporate real consumer testimonials or case studies to bring insights to life.

• Integrate consumer feedback mechanisms: Implement real-time feedback loops through surveys, social media listening and AI-powered sentiment analysis tools.

Why it matters

The ChiefMartec Marketing Technology Landscape reported that the number of MarTech tools grew to over 14,000, reflecting the increasing complexity of technology decisions. Additionally, Accenture found that 61% of CMOs cite disconnected systems as a barrier to effective consumer engagement.

Action steps

• Evaluate platforms for connectivity: Prioritize technology that supports end-to-end data integration, from concept testing to advertising performance metrics. Organizations using connected insights platforms report a 20% faster time-to-market for new campaigns according to Forbes Insights.

• Ensure data ownership: Work with the CMO to secure ownership of insights data, ensuring it’s accessible within the organization rather than controlled by external agencies. According to Gartner, companies that centralize data ownership experience a 35% reduction in reporting errors.

• Enable AI and predictive analytics: Invest in tools that leverage AI for trend prediction and scenario analysis to stay ahead of market changes. Predictive analytics adoption can boost marketing ROI by up to 25% according to a study by McKinsey.

• Standardize data practices across teams: Develop unified data standards to ensure consistent quality and usability across all insights functions. This approach improves cross-functional efficiency by 30% according to Deloitte.

Why it matters

Proving the value of consumer insights is essential to securing ongoing investment. 

According to Bain & Company, organizations that effectively link insights to business outcomes are 2.2 times more likely to outperform their peers.

Action steps

• Link insights to KPIs: Tie consumer insights to key performance indicators such as revenue growth, market share or brand health. For example, connecting insights to specific campaign outcomes can show an average 15% improvement in ROI (Forrester, 2023).

• Develop case studies: Showcase how insights-driven decisions have led to measurable improvements in marketing effectiveness or customer satisfaction. Case studies are among the most persuasive tools for building executive buy-in.

• Regularly report outcomes: Share quarterly updates with the CMO and executive team to highlight progress and areas of opportunity. Incorporate dashboards that visualize key metrics and trends for easy comprehension.

• Adopt benchmarking tools: Use industry benchmarking to contextualize insights performance and demonstrate how the organization compares to peers.

Insights leaders are uniquely positioned to support CMOs in navigating the complexities of today’s marketing landscape. By aligning with executive priorities, fostering cross-functional collaboration, and leveraging advanced technology, insights teams can drive transformative business impact.

Partnering effectively with the CMO is not just an opportunity — it’s a necessity for ensuring long-term organizational success.