Why marketing should sit at the top of every organisation's pyramid
01/09/2025

In many companies, marketing is treated like an afterthought. Sometimes like something you turn to once the product is built and you're ready to spread the word. We think this mindset is outdated and risky. Marketing isn’t just a promotional tool, it’s the strategic foundation that should guide everything else in the business.

In fact, we think marketing should sit at the top of the organisational pyramid. Not because it’s flashier or louder than other departments, but because it informs and fuels every other part of the operation.

Let’s break down why.

1. Marketing determines product focus

You don’t build something and hope people want it. You start by understanding what people actually need and that starts with marketing.

The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) puts it clearly:

“Marketing is the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably.”

This isn’t just about promotion, it’s about product-market fit. A strong marketing team brings customer insights, competitor research, and market trends into the room before a product is ever designed. That insight shapes what you build and how it’s positioned.

2. Marketing informs your inventory and ordering

If your marketing is doing its job, it's not just generating clicks, it’s giving you real-time signals about customer demand.

When you know what’s getting attention, what’s converting, and what’s growing in interest, you can:

  • Forecast more accurately

  • Set smarter reorder points

  • Reduce overstock and waste

  • Align inventory with real consumer behavior

This turns marketing into a demand-sensing engine, one that can guide procurement, logistics, and fulfillment.

3. Marketing drives projections and growth

Marketing isn’t just reactive. It's predictive.

A data-driven marketing team can help you answer:

  • Where is the growth coming from next quarter?

  • Which customer segments are expanding?

  • What trends should we act on now to stay ahead?

That’s how you turn insight into strategy.

As the CIM states:

“Marketing has always been about more than just selling. … Purpose is no longer a nice‑to‑have. It’s something that helps brands stay relevant, builds trust, and strengthens long‑term relationships.”

Good marketing is long-term thinking. It drives scalable, sustainable growth, not just quick wins.

4. Marketing defines your audience (and keeps you close to them)

Every product, every message, and every campaign needs to speak to someone. That “someone” isn’t static, they evolve.

Marketing is how you stay in sync with your customers as they change. When embedded at the top, marketing ensures your whole business stays:

  • Customer-centric

  • Culturally relevant

  • Competitive

Without this lens, businesses risk becoming out of touch, building for yesterday’s market.

5. A fully integrated marketing system pays for itself

Marketing is often seen as a cost centre. That’s a myth. Done right, marketing is a revenue multiplier.

A good marketing team will:

  • Increase conversion rates

  • Reduce customer acquisition costs

  • Boost customer retention

  • Improve forecasting accuracy

  • Help operations run more efficiently

In short: it pays for itself and then some.

As CIM research points out, too many companies still miss this:

“73% of CMOs believe their businesses undervalue marketing strategy.”

And that undervaluation comes at a cost: missed growth, misaligned products, and reactive decision-making.

Final thoughts: Build the pyramid with marketing on top

Marketing isn’t a department you consult after decisions are made. It’s the discipline that helps you make smarter decisions in the first place.

From product development and inventory planning to forecasting and customer connection marketing touches it all. And when done well, it delivers impact across the entire business.

So if you’re building or restructuring your business, start at the top and put marketing there.