Agriculture · 15 countries
[Result]
Assessing marketing capability across 15 countries
A global agribusiness needed to know whether marketing in 15 Latin American countries could deliver very different go-to-market strategies.
Read the case →
Proving the value of marketing
Situation
Proving the value of marketing
"Leadership wants to know if marketing is the right size, and what it delivers."
When budgets tighten, marketing is asked to justify its size and show its contribution. Without external benchmarks or a capability baseline, the conversation turns on opinion rather than facts.
Signs you're in this situation
If two or more of these sound familiar, this page is for you.
- Leadership is asking whether marketing is the right size.
- Budgets are frozen and every role needs a justification.
- Commercial excellence initiatives exist for sales, product and service, but none for marketing.
- You can show activity, but not commercial impact.
What we hear from clients
Paraphrased and anonymized from recent conversations with marketing and commercial leaders.
“Is our marketing organization right-sized for the current strategy?”
“We're flying blind when it comes to marketing resource allocation, especially when we want to grow.”
“Before we plan development, we want to assess our whole marketing team, about 200 people.”
Why it’s hard
Without external data, the debate about marketing becomes a matter of opinion. Headcount alone isn’t the full answer either: a team can be the right size with the wrong skills, or skilled but spread across too many priorities. Benchmarks and a capability baseline together make the case with facts.
How we help
Headcount benchmarks →
Compare marketing roles and headcount with similar B2B business units.
Capability assessment →
A baseline of individual and team capability against best in class.
Link to business results →
Connect capability gaps to growth and margin objectives.
Development road map →
Prioritized investments with a way to measure return.
How an engagement usually runs
Typical phases. Every engagement is scoped with you, and many clients start with one phase.
| Phase | Typical timing | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Benchmark | 4–6 weeks | Headcount by marketing role compared with similar business units by revenue, operating margin, forward growth and R&D investment. |
| Assess | 4–8 weeks | Individual and team capability compared with the company average and industry best in class. |
| Connect to the strategy | 2 weeks | Which gaps matter most for growth and margin objectives. |
| Plan and measure | Ongoing | A development road map, with reassessment to show progress. |
Clients who faced something similar
All case studies →Packaging · 6B USD, 30 countries
[Result]
A multi-year commercial excellence program across 30 countries
A packaging leader with 6B USD sales and 23,000 employees moved from selling products to selling solutions, and needed to transform commercial capability worldwide.
Read the case →Questions clients ask
What does the benchmark compare?
Headcount by marketing role (strategic marketing, product management and tactical marketing) as a function of revenue, operating margin, forward growth and R&D investment, compared with similar business units.
Is our data confidential?
Yes. You share data securely, results are compared anonymously, and NDAs are standard.
How many people can you assess?
From a single team to several hundred marketers across regions. Larger assessments are usually customized to the company's roles.
What happens after the assessment?
Prioritized gaps lead to a development road map: targeted workshops, Academy programs or a company academy, with reassessment to measure progress.
Other situations we help with
"We've been sales and rebate led for years."
Moving from commodity to specialty
Your strategy now depends on selling on value, but the sales force, pricing and segmentation were built for volume.
How we help →"I've just taken over marketing, and we don't have standard tools."
Building or rebuilding a marketing function
A new marketing leader in a lean organization needs a team, a process and early results, fast.
How we help →"We're a new company with a parent company's marketing habits."
After a spin-off, carve-out or PE acquisition
A new owner or independent company means new growth targets with marketing infrastructure that was left behind.
How we help →Facing this right now?
Book a 20–30 minute sounding board conversation with a senior consultant who has sat in your seat. No cost, no commitment.