Can the CRO Help Align Marketing for Long-Term Growth?
By Steven Manifold · August 4, 2025 · Originally published on CMSWire
Three trends are reshaping how B2B marketing teams think about value: the rise of the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), the proliferation of generative AI, and a return to long-term brand building. Each of these points to the need for better alignment between short-term performance marketing and sustainable, strategic growth.
Why the CRO Role Matters
The CRO is increasingly seen as a solution to fragmented revenue ownership. By connecting marketing, sales, pricing, and customer success under one leader, CROs create the conditions for consistent growth. In complex B2B buying journeys, they ensure the entire funnel is optimized—not just the top or bottom.
While some marketers fear that CROs will over-index on sales results, they often bring relief from the relentless short-termism many CMOs face. The CRO provides a structure where marketing can both deliver pipeline and protect brand integrity.
The Short-Term Trap in B2B Marketing
When marketers are pushed to generate quick pipeline, they often rely on paid ads, email blasts, and gated content. These tactics may offer fast results but don’t build long-term equity. Over time, costs rise and returns diminish. Without investment in brand, the marketing engine loses efficiency.
Generative AI: Powerful, but Risky
AI tools now allow teams to generate copy and assets at speed—but speed is not strategy. When used without a clear plan, generative AI can dilute brand quality and confuse the audience. Marketing teams need governance and intent behind AI usage, not just automation for its own sake.
Why Brand Building Is Making a Comeback
As competition increases and paid media becomes more expensive, brands that have invested in awareness, trust, and consistency are seeing better long-term performance. Strong brands attract inbound interest, command premium pricing, and resist churn.
A Balanced Approach to Growth
Smart organizations now seek a dual approach: achieve short-term goals under the CRO’s leadership while building brand equity through strategic marketing. This requires tight coordination across functions, unified KPIs, and mutual understanding of both brand and performance metrics.
What B2B Marketers Should Do Next
- Work with your CRO, not against them—align objectives and language.
- Don’t over-automate—ensure AI content supports your strategy.
- Invest in brand now to reduce acquisition costs later.
- Measure outcomes across the full revenue cycle, not just lead volume.
Ultimately, the CRO model gives marketers a chance to escape reactive cycles and act as strategic contributors to business growth. Brand and pipeline aren’t mutually exclusive—they’re mutually reinforcing.
