Conclusion: Focusing on three strategic pillars to drive profitable growth Marketers are proving confident in the resilience of their budgets but they remain aware of the challenging environment and are putting efficiency and effectiveness first. Driving profitable future growth demands marketers prioritize three strategic pillars: 1. Enhancing MROI measurement by establishing a holistic marketing measurement ecosystem across four areas: a. Measurement principles and KPIs. A set of measurement principles to follow across the organization, alignment on measurement use cases with outcomes that are linked to and can be tracked by fit-for-purpose primary and secondary KPIs, and a clear link toward an overarching governing KPI (including long-term effects). b. Tool ecosystem. A full suite of measurement tools (across MMM, incrementality testing, and attribution), the required data foundations providing consistent and clean data across channels, and the integration of measurement tools for a holistic understanding of the marketing effect calibrated regularly through data refreshes and testing. c. Operating model and governance. A central measurement owner with clear roles and responsibilities between them and other measurement practitioners and users within the organization, as well as a strict governance over operating model, decision rights and measurement guidelines. d. Capabilities and capacity. Sufficient capacity (either internal or through external partners) and the required expertise across measurement owners, do-ers and users to execute measurement, derive insights, and translate them into actions. 2. Strengthening C-suite alignment and closely linking marketing to business growth through 27 : a. Aligning key metrics. CMOs and CFOs should collaborate to define and track metrics that directly link marketing efforts to business outcomes. MROI can be leveraged as proof of marketing being a true value contributor rather than cost driver. This alignment fosters trust and accountability. 27 Aurélia Bettati, Jeff Jacobs, Kelsey Robinson, and Robert Tas, “The CMO’s comeback: Aligning the C-suite to drive customer-centric growth,” McKinsey, June 16, 2025. “ We’ve begun integrating marketing, sales, and customer experience more closely, but it’s still a work in progress. One area where we’ve seen success is using MMM to align marketing and sales efforts. For example, we can now model the impact of opening a new store or running a specific promotion on sales performance. But there’s still work to be done in structuring our data and processes to fully leverage these insights. We’re also exploring agile ways of working, but it requires a cultural shift that takes time to implement.” — Benjamin Faveris, CMO, Orange France 34 Past forward: The modern rethinking of marketing’s core