Making Marketing Managers More Accountable

Abstract

As we contemplate the future of the marketing profession, in a developing European environment where marketing silos (departments) may cease to exist, and where IT offers unparalleled opportunities to access data, we need to be concerned that the reputation of marketing departments as big spenders with low accountability does not infect the reputations of marketing professionals. The paper explores the marketing accountability problem. It will offer some suggestions as to how a mix of financial, operational and intangible measures can be developed. The paper will suggest that current financial reporting methods are out of step with the times, and will propose how corporate reporting might develop systems that truly reflect the values of the company, reporting systems which give some real insights into stakeholder values, and how marketing investment and marketing skills contribute to these values.