When pitching new marketing initiatives, supplement ROI projections with research demonstrating a clear audience need for the content. Framing the project as a valuable service to the customer, rather than just another marketing tactic, is a more powerful way to gain internal support.

To convince a skeptical CFO who dismissed brand spend, MasterCard's CMO Raja Rajamannar pointed to her expensive Cartier watch. He explained that the significant price premium she paid over a functional, cheaper watch was the tangible, financial definition of brand value. This personal, disarming example immediately reframed the conversation.

The key to justifying brand marketing isn't a perfect dashboard, but internal education. A marketing leader's primary job is to explain to the CFO and sales team that buying decisions are not linear and are influenced by multiple, often unmeasurable touchpoints over time.

To secure buy-in for its risky "Platform 2," Zipline built a rough prototype and held a "conviction milestone" event for the whole company. Witnessing the tangible demo converted even the most ardent skeptics on the leadership team, aligning everyone to bet the company's future on the new product.

To shift from performance to brand marketing, SAS's CMO built a strategic alliance with the CFO. This involved mutual literacy training (marketing for finance, finance for marketing) and embedding a finance business partner directly into the marketing leadership team, turning finance into a powerful advocate.

Ford's CMO credits their rebrand's success to a two-year process of embedding the new strategy across all departments, from HR to product development. This ensured it was more than a marketing campaign by influencing core business operations and decision-making.

To rally senior leaders around a brand reinvention, AT&T's CMO had them share stories about brands they personally admired. This exercise revealed that brand love stems from product and service—not just ads. It successfully reframed brand building as a collective, company-wide responsibility.

To gain the CFO's confidence, GM's marketing head involved the CFO's team in the steering committee for developing the marketing plan. This transparency and disciplined approach built a strong partnership and prevented budget cuts driven by misunderstanding.

A product vision won't stick unless it's marketed internally. CPOs should build an internal communications plan using compelling storytelling, multiple formats (video, text), and frequent repetition. This marketing-like approach is essential to rally the organization and ensure the strategy is remembered and acted upon.