UK CEOs doubt B2B marketing drives growth, survey finds

Propolis has published research showing that 75% of UK CEOs and senior business leaders do not believe B2B marketing drives business growth. The findings are based on a survey of 150 UK business leaders.

The study points to a gap between how senior executives view marketing's role and the contribution marketers say they make to long-term commercial performance. While many leaders accept that marketing matters within their organisations, most stop short of treating it as a primary source of growth.

According to the research, 84% of respondents see marketing as a support function rather than a commercial growth driver. A further 77% said sales is a bigger driver of growth than marketing, while 67% believe marketing is less accountable for business results than sales.

Those views appear to shape boardroom decisions. More than a third of respondents, 35%, said marketers are being held back at board level as investment is increasingly directed towards innovation and AI.

Boardroom gap

The report describes this disconnect as a "CEO blind spot", arguing that companies often credit growth only when revenue is recorded, while overlooking the earlier work that supports demand creation and brand development. It suggests a structural issue in how commercial impact is measured, particularly in business-to-business markets where buying cycles can be long.

In that environment, marketing activity may influence a sale long before a contract is signed or income appears in company accounts. By contrast, sales teams are more directly linked to transactions, making their contribution easier for boards to track and compare.

The findings add to a wider debate over how companies assess the return on marketing spending at a time when budgets are under pressure from new technology investment. In many organisations, spending on AI and innovation has become more prominent in strategic planning, leaving other functions under greater scrutiny.

Richard O'Connor, Chief Executive Officer at Propolis, said: "Too many CEOs say they value B2B marketing, but our research suggests they still don't see it as a commercial growth function. If you believe marketing matters but doesn't drive growth, it's difficult to argue that you recognise its full contribution to the business.

"The challenge is that much of marketing's commercial contribution happens long before revenue appears on a dashboard, making it far less visible than that of functions operating closer to the point of sale. As CEOs face growing pressure to deliver short-term results while increasing investment in AI, there is a real risk that a critical engine of sustainable growth becomes an easy target for budget cuts unless this blind spot is addressed."

The survey focused on UK CEOs and senior leaders at B2B organisations. The results suggest the issue is not whether marketing is seen as relevant, but whether it is regarded as central to commercial outcomes in the same way as sales or product investment.

Measurement issue

The report's central argument is that marketing's effect is often indirect and delayed, which can make it harder to defend in board discussions shaped by near-term financial targets. Where leadership teams favour metrics closely tied to immediate revenue, longer-term work such as brand building and early-stage demand generation may carry less weight.

That can affect not only budgets but also influence at senior level. If marketing is viewed mainly as a support function, marketers may find it harder to shape strategy despite being responsible for market positioning, customer insight and pipeline development.

The research highlights a persistent tension in B2B companies between activities that can be measured quickly and those that may take months to translate into sales. For boards under pressure to show results, that distinction can have direct consequences for resource allocation.