"70% of marketers are making vital decisions alone"

The once dynamic and collaborative nature of marketing appears to be dissipating, as indicated by a recent report by Nielsen for HubSpot and Linkedin that found marketers are often operating in silos.

According to the research, which delves into the perspectives of more than 700 senior professionals across the UK and Ireland, seven in ten (70%) marketers within the region are navigating crucial business decisions alone.

This directly conflicts with the ethos sales and marketing leaders want to promote, with almost nine-in-ten acknowledging that collaboration between the two teams is vital for business growth.

A reshuffle in jobs and expectations is cited within the report as a key catalyst for this misalignment, which has left marketers hamstrung in their decision making and sales teams attempting to fill creative holes, hindering overall business success.

In the past year, marketers have faced mounting pressure to perform but are being expected to do so in the face of decreasing resources and time.

"There has never been a more crucial time for marketers to make informed decisions"

Julie Lock, UK and Ireland Marketing Director at HubSpot warns that if a correction isn’t made soon, businesses risk falling behind the competition in a time where technological innovation demands alignment among teams.

She said: “We'll see rapid growth in the use of artificial intelligence in the next few years, so there has never been a more crucial time for marketers to make informed decisions and be connected to the rest of the business.

“Marketing leadership needs to garner a much deeper understanding of what’s working, what’s not, and what to expect in the next few years. Being plugged in across the organisation will help them understand the industry trends and how they affect key strategic decisions."

Among the top strategies for overcoming challenges and promoting business growth in 2023, as identified within the report, was aligning sales and marketing strategies (37%), with only building a customer retention programme (42%) viewed as a higher priority.

This indicates a recognition among organisations that reaffirming marketers’ interactions with the broader company will yield better results - the question is, are business leaders prepared to let them back in the door?