Marketing + Finance collaboration: how I built a stable foundation for profitable growth

As part of an engaging conversation centered on 'Game Changers', Rowan, the CMO of Planful, shed light on how Chief Marketing Officers (CMO) can heighten their collaboration with Chief Finance Officers (CFO) on budgetary concerns and successfully pitch marketing investments as a cardinal factor for corporate growth. He advocates for the crux of a mature marketing function and a competent finance team in any organization. Coming from his expertise, Rowan emphasizes that finance teams have the potential to be game changers, having the ability to catalyze small marketing tests into long-term, sustainable programs. Moreover, he implores marketing leaders to envision their finance counterparts as investors while presenting their plans. This lens gives marketing an investment perspective, thereby involving finance leaders in the decision-making process from the get-go, leading to a more integrated and robust strategy. An equally significant point discussed was the need to understand and add value to customers. Rowan insists that brands seek out and establish the narratives they wish to convey and identify their best storytellers, be they the product team, customers, or the CEO themselves. He underlines the efficacy of narrating brand stories via the customer base, letting prospects identify with existing customers, thus enhancing relatability and trust in the brand. A profound piece of the discussion was the role of content in driving growth and creating an impact. Rowan stresses the importance of creating content that resonates with people and achieves the desired objectives of a piece. He encourages employees to proactively share company news and updates while maintaining a laser focus on customers. The ultimate objective behind crafting expert-level content, Rowan clarifies, is to enrich the user's job experience and provide them with assistance in their respective fields. The conversation summarily reinforces the idea that a strategic collaboration between marketing and finance in organisations, coupled with customer-centric storytelling, can indeed be the game-changers of today's marketing landscape. ‍