Marketing Controlling – From Goal to Impact
Marketing is only as strong as its measurability. In today’s data-driven business models, it is no longer enough to manage campaigns with creativity and intuition. CMOs must demonstrate that their measures contribute to overarching company goals – in a traceable, comparable, and real-time manner. This is exactly where modern marketing controlling comes in.
From Intuition to Clarity: Set Goals Properly
Without clear goals, there is no controlling. What sounds simple is often the biggest hurdle in practice. Marketing goals today must:
Be closely aligned with company objectives (e.g., revenue growth, lead generation, brand awareness).
Be SMART: specific, measurable, attractive, realistic, time-bound.
Remain consistent across hierarchy levels – from strategic brand management to operational campaigns.
Measure What Really Matters
Dashboards and KPIs are everywhere, but not every number is meaningful. Successful marketing controlling means filtering the relevant signals from the data flood. Examples include:
Efficiency metrics like Cost per Lead or Customer Acquisition Cost.
Impact metrics like Net Promoter Score or Brand Lift.
Long-term value metrics like Customer Lifetime Value.
Crucially, these metrics should not be viewed in isolation but in context: Which channel contributes to which goal – and with what ROI?
Comfortable Instead of Complex: Use Tools Intelligently
Modern controlling solutions make it possible to capture marketing metrics automatically and present them in an understandable way.
- Dashboarding tools (Looker Studio, Tableau, Power BI) consolidate all data sources.
- Automated alerts ensure deviations are visible in real time.
- AI-supported forecasts help better assess the impact of future measures.
This way, controlling becomes not a mandatory task but a true decision-making accelerator.
From Measuring to Managing: Achieve Goals
CMOs who consistently use marketing controlling can lead their teams from reactive justification to proactive management:
- Prioritize actions: Budgets flow into channels that demonstrably work.
- Act agilely: Instead of rigidly following annual plans, optimize flexibly.
- Create transparency: Marketing speaks the same language as Sales and Finance.
Control Is Not an End in Itself
Comfortable marketing controlling does not mean monitoring every step. It means maintaining an overview, building trust, and embedding marketing sustainably in corporate management. Those who define clear goals, choose the right KPIs, and use technology intelligently gain not only efficiency but also strategic influence.
