The Accountability Reckoning: Why Brand Marketers Can't Hide Behind "Awareness" Anymore
Here's the conversation happening in every boardroom right now: "What are we actually getting for our marketing spend?"
For years, brand marketers have sheltered behind soft metrics. Impressions. Reach. Engagement. Brand lift. "Building long-term equity."
That era is over.
CFOs are demanding hard numbers. CEOs want revenue attribution. Boards want proof that marketing isn't just expensive storytelling.
The new mandate is brutal and clear: deliver results. Increased share. Increased revenue. Increased profits.
Not "brand health scores." Not "share of voice." Actual business outcomes.
Here's why this shift is happening, what it means for how marketing needs to work, and why the smartest brand marketers are fundamentally rethinking their approach.
Why the Accountability Shift Is Happening Now
1) Economic Pressure Is Exposing Vanity Metrics
When money was cheap and growth was easy, CMOs could justify brand campaigns with nebulous ROI.
Not anymore.
Tighter budgets mean every euro needs to justify itself. And "we increased brand favorability by 3 points" doesn't cut it when you're being asked to defend headcount.
The question has changed from "Are we visible?" to "Are we profitable?"
2) Performance Marketing Has Set a New Standard
Digital performance marketing has trained executives to expect:
Real-time measurement
Clear attribution
Predictable ROI
Fast optimisation cycles
Brand marketing, by comparison, looks like a black box:
Delayed impact (maybe)
Fuzzy attribution (trust us)
Uncertain ROI (it's about the long term)
Slow feedback loops (we'll know in 18 months)
CFOs are looking at these two models and asking: "Why can't brand work like performance?"
3) AI and Automation Are Commoditising Creative Execution
When anyone can generate a decent ad campaign with AI prompts, execution becomes less valuable. Strategy becomes more valuable.
But strategy only matters if it delivers measurable business impact.
The brand marketers who survive this shift? The ones who can prove their work moves the numbers that matter.
The Three Metrics That Actually Matter
Let's be direct: if your marketing isn't moving these three needles, you're vulnerable.
1) Market Share Growth
Are you taking share from competitors, or just existing?
This is the ultimate test. Revenue can grow because the market has grown. Profit can improve because you cut costs.
But market share? That proves you're winning.
2) Revenue That's Attributable (Not Just Correlated)
"Revenue grew 15% the quarter after our brand campaign" isn't attribution. It's a correlation.
Attribution means: we can trace customer acquisition and conversion back to specific marketing activities.
This is hard for the brand. But that's the point—the difficulty isn't an excuse anymore.
3) Profit Contribution (Not Just Revenue)
Revenue is vanity. Profit is sanity.
If you're driving revenue growth but destroying margins through discounting, overspending on acquisition, or attracting low-lifetime-value customers, you're not building a brand—you're renting attention.
Marketing's job is profitable growth, not just growth.
Why Traditional Brand Marketing Struggles With This
Let's be honest about why most brand marketing can't prove results:
It Optimises for the Wrong Outcomes
Brand campaigns often optimise for:
Creative awards
Media coverage
Social engagement
Brand recall
None of these guarantees business outcomes.
I've watched campaigns win awards while the brand lost market share. I've seen viral moments that didn't move sales. I've seen "brand lift" that didn't translate to revenue.
Applause isn't the same as conversion.
It Operates in Isolation From Sales and Distribution
Brand teams often work separately from:
Sales teams (who actually close deals)
Product teams (who create what customers buy)
Distribution teams (who get products to market)
The result? Beautiful campaigns that aren't connected to the realities of how customers actually buy.
Marketing that isn't integrated with go-to-market is just expensive content production.
It Measures Inputs, Not Outcomes
Traditional brand marketing measures:
Campaign reach
Ad frequency
Creative testing scores
Awareness shifts
These are inputs. They're not outcomes.
You can't pay bills with brand awareness.
How Brand Marketers Need to Change Their Approach
If you're a brand marketer facing this new accountability, here's what needs to change:
1) Start With Business Outcomes, Work Backwards
Don't ask: "What creative concept should we execute?"
Ask: "What business problem are we solving, and what does success look like in revenue and share?"
Then work backwards:
What customer behaviour needs to change?
What barriers are preventing that behaviour?
What marketing activities remove those barriers?
How do we measure whether it's working?
This flips the logic. You're not justifying marketing. You're solving business problems with marketing.
2) Build Attribution Infrastructure (Even If It's Imperfect)
Yes, brand attribution is hard. Do it anyway.
Tools you need:
Multi-touch attribution models (even flawed ones are better than none)
Brand tracking tied to business KPIs (not just awareness—intent, consideration, preference)
Control groups and test markets (isolate the impact of campaigns)
Customer journey mapping (understand where brand touchpoints actually influence decisions)
Perfect measurement is impossible. Directionally accurate measurement is mandatory.
3) Integrate Brand and Performance (They're Not Separate)
The artificial divide between "brand" and "performance" is killing effectiveness.
The reality:
Brand drives performance (by making ads more effective)
Performance reveals brand gaps (by showing where messaging fails)
Both need to work together to drive profitable growth
The best marketing organisations I'm seeing have killed the silos. Brand and performance report to the same leader, share the same goals, and optimise together.
4) Prove Impact in 90-Day Cycles, Not Annual Reviews
Annual brand tracking is too slow for today's accountability environment.
Implement quarterly business reviews where you show:
Share movement
Revenue contribution
Profit impact
Attribution evidence
If you can't show progress in 90 days, you lose credibility. And budget.
5) Connect Marketing to the Full Commercial Engine
Marketing doesn't exist in isolation. It's part of a commercial system:
Product: What you're selling
Pricing: How you're positioning value
Distribution: How you're reaching customers
Sales: How you’re closing deals
Retention: How you're keeping customers
If marketing isn't aligned with all of these, it's just noise.
Brand marketers need to become commercial strategists, not just campaign executors.
Where PR Fits Into This (And Why Lighthouse PR Understands What Others Don't)
Here's the uncomfortable truth most PR agencies won't tell you: traditional PR is even worse at proving business impact than traditional marketing.
Media mentions. AVE (Advertising Value Equivalent). Share of voice. Press clippings.
None of this proves you moved revenue, share, or profit.
But done right? PR can be one of the highest-ROI levers for driving business results.
Here's how I've seen it work when it's strategic, not tactical:
PR That Builds Category Authority (Which Drives Share)
When you're recognised as the expert in your category:
Your sales cycles shorten (buyers trust you faster)
Your pricing power increases (you're worth more)
Your market position strengthens (you define the conversation)
This is PR as competitive positioning. It's measurable through:
Share of voice in category conversations
Inbound lead quality and volume
Sales cycle velocity
Win rates vs. competitors
PR That Creates Demand, Not Just Awareness
Most PR tells people you exist. Strategic PR tells them why they should care right now.
This means:
Thought leadership that addresses buyer pain points
Data-driven insights that create urgency
Expert positioning that influences purchase decisions
When done right, this drives:
Website traffic with commercial intent
Inbound inquiries
Pipeline acceleration
PR That Activates Stakeholders Who Influence Buying
On average, buying decisions in B2B involve 6-10 stakeholders. PR that reaches and influences:
Technical decision-makers
Financial decision-makers
Executive sponsors
End users
...is directly contributing to revenue.
This is where Lighthouse PR's approach becomes strategic, not decorative.
They understand that PR isn't about clippings. It's about influencing the people who influence revenue.
What Lighthouse PR Does Differently (And Why It Matters Now)
I've worked with enough PR agencies to spot the difference between those who "do PR" and those who drive business outcomes.
Here's what sets strategic PR apart—and what I see in how Lighthouse operates:
1) They Start With Your Business Problem, Not a Press Release
Most PR agencies ask: "What do you want to announce?"
Strategic PR asks: "What business outcome are you trying to achieve, and how can earned media contribute?"
This changes everything. You're not buying "coverage." You're buying influence that drives commercial results.
2) They Understand the Difference Between Volume and Value
100 mentions in low-relevance outlets don't move the needle.
5 placements in publications your buyers actually read? That changes behavior.
Lighthouse gets this. They prioritise quality of reach over quantity of impressions.
3) They Build Narrative Infrastructure, Not Campaigns
One-off campaigns create spikes. Then they disappear.
Strategic PR builds a sustained narrative presence that compounds over time:
Consistent thought leadership
Ongoing category commentary
Long-term journalist relationships
Owned platforms (podcasts, newsletters, events)
This is PR as infrastructure, not as tactics.
4) They Connect PR to Pipeline and Revenue
This is where most agencies fail. They deliver coverage, declare victory, and never connect it to business impact.
Strategic PR tracks:
Traffic from earned media
Lead generation from thought leadership
Pipeline influenced by PR activities
Revenue attributed to brand credibility
Lighthouse understands that if PR isn't measurable against business outcomes, it's not strategic—it's hopeful.
5) They Work as an Extension of Your Commercial Engine
Traditional PR agencies operate as vendors. You brief them, they execute, they invoice.
Strategic PR operates as a partner embedded in your commercial strategy:
Aligned with sales on target accounts
Coordinated with marketing on campaigns
Integrated with the product on launches
Connected to leadership on positioning
This isn't "PR support." It's commercial acceleration through earned influence.
The Bottom Line: Accountability Is Here. Adapt or Get Cut.
Brand marketers can no longer hide behind soft metrics and long-term promises.
The new mandate is clear: drive share, revenue, and profit. Prove it. Do it consistently.
This requires:
Starting with business outcomes
Building attribution infrastructure
Integrating brand and performance
Connecting to the full commercial engine
Working with partners who understand results, not just reach
And when it comes to PR? The agencies that survive this shift are the ones who understand that their job isn't coverage—it's commercial impact.
That's why conversations with Lighthouse PR matter right now. Not because they're good at PR (plenty of agencies are). But because they understand that PR is only valuable if it drives business results.
If you're a brand marketer being held accountable for real outcomes, you need equally accountable partners.
The days of "we got great coverage" are over. The era of "we drove measurable business impact" has begun.
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Note:
How are you planning to prove your marketing works? Because hoping isn't a strategy anymore.
About the Author
Steve Gardiner (exec MBA) is a senior marketing and commercial leader at Lighthouse PR, bringing global experience from Accenture, Electronic Arts, Virgin Media, Telekom, and Etisalat. Latterly, as VP Business at Etisalat, he was responsible for $1.8B in revenue.
Today, Steve applies his strategic, marketing, and growth expertise to support Lighthouse PR clients as part of the agency’s service offering.