The Marketing Iceberg: Why Strategic Foundations Matter More Than Communications
Marketing's most persistent misconception lies in what meets the eye. Like an iceberg floating in Arctic waters, the visible communications element represents merely the tip of a far more substantial discipline beneath the surface.
The widespread misconception about marketing's true scope continues to limit organisations' strategic potential and commercial outcomes. Understanding this fundamental distinction becomes crucial for senior marketing leaders navigating increasingly complex business environments.
The 8% Reality: Why Communications Don't Define Marketing
The reality is that communications represents a fraction of marketing's strategic value. As Richard Levy confirmed during a recent appearance on Spotlight on B2B Marketing, "I would argue strongly that communications is about 8% of marketing. So there's 92% of marketing which has nothing to do with the communications element." This stark statistic challenges how many organisations—and even marketers themselves—perceive the discipline.
The visible 8% includes advertising campaigns, social media content, PR activities, and brand communications. These are the elements that customers see, competitors notice, and boards often judge marketing departments by. However, this narrow focus misses the strategic infrastructure that actually drives commercial success.
Strategic marketing requires deep analytical thinking, market understanding, and commercial acumen—skills that extend far beyond creative execution. The strategic foundation encompasses everything from market segmentation and competitive positioning to pricing strategy and customer journey mapping.
This comprehensive approach proves particularly crucial during challenging economic periods when organisations scrutinise marketing spend. The depth of marketing strategy becomes evident when considering Richard's observation that "the principles are exactly the same, the intensity and the importance of it because you don't have a brand to carry you is really, really crucial" when working across different business contexts.
Strategic Foundations Drive Commercial Results
The most effective marketing leaders understand that sustainable commercial success stems from getting foundational elements right before any communication begins. This strategic approach requires marketers to become genuine business partners who understand market dynamics, customer behaviour, and competitive landscapes.
Successful strategic marketing starts with rigorous market analysis. This means identifying where genuine opportunities exist, understanding customer needs at a granular level, and recognising competitive gaps that can be exploited. It involves making difficult choices about which segments to pursue and, crucially, which ones to ignore.
Strategic positioning work focuses on differentiation that resonates with target segments whilst contrasting against competitors. Only after establishing this strategic foundation should tactical communications begin, typically resulting in measurable commercial impact including increased leads, improved conversion rates, and revenue growth.
Speaking the Language of Commercial Success
The commercial imperative for marketing continues to intensify as organisations demand greater accountability for marketing spend. This shift requires marketing leaders to move beyond vanity metrics toward meaningful business outcomes that demonstrate clear return on investment.
As Karen Lloyd emphasises, "Marketing effectiveness is about measuring what matters most to the business." This commercial focus demands that marketing leaders develop financial literacy alongside their marketing expertise. Understanding profit and loss statements, balance sheets, and cash flow enables marketers to speak the language of the C-suite and demonstrate genuine business impact.
Rather than reporting website traffic increases or social media engagement, strategic marketers focus on customer lifetime value, acquisition cost reduction, revenue growth, and profit margin improvement. These metrics resonate with CFOs and CEOs because they directly relate to business performance.
The Strategic Marketer's Competitive Advantage
The distinction between strategic and tactical marketing becomes particularly important during challenging economic periods. Organisations under financial pressure often view marketing as a cost centre rather than a growth driver, making strategic positioning crucial for marketing leaders.
Marketers who understand the full iceberg—who can articulate how segmentation strategies drive customer acquisition, how positioning work improves conversion rates, and how pricing strategies impact profitability—position themselves as indispensable business partners rather than tactical executors.
This strategic perspective also enables marketing leaders to make better resource allocation decisions. Instead of spreading efforts across multiple segments or channels, strategic marketers focus resources where they can achieve the greatest commercial impact.
The discipline required for this strategic approach often proves more demanding than tactical execution, but it yields more sustainable results. Strategic marketing foundations enable organisations to make better resource allocation decisions, focus efforts where they can achieve the greatest commercial impact, and build competitive advantages that extend beyond individual campaigns.
This comprehensive understanding of marketing's strategic scope separates effective marketing leaders from tactical executors, particularly during challenging economic periods when organisations scrutinise every investment for measurable returns.
What can marketing and business leaders implement to strengthen their strategic foundations?
Conduct comprehensive market analysis before tactical execution - Invest time understanding customer segments, competitive landscapes, and market opportunities enabling effective resource allocation and positioning decisions that drive commercial results.
Develop financial literacy within marketing teams - Ensure marketing professionals understand P&L statements, customer lifetime value calculations, and acquisition cost metrics, positioning marketing as commercial growth driver rather than cost center.
Establish clear strategic priorities and segment focus - Identify specific customer segments where your organization can achieve competitive advantage rather than broad market approaches, requiring senior professionals experienced in strategic choices.
Create measurement frameworks that connect marketing activities to business outcomes - Move beyond vanity metrics toward commercial indicators demonstrating revenue impact, customer acquisition efficiency, and profit contribution for invaluable business partnership.
Karen Lloyd, October 2025
About Karen Lloyd
As the founder and director behind our recruitment approach, I bring almost 30 years of unique expertise spanning both recruitment and marketing. Having placed my first candidate in 1996, I've since built 5 start-ups, served as a Board Director for 25 years, and developed recruitment strategies that work in competitive talent markets.
I'm also the host of "Spotlight on B2B Marketing", where I explore B2B marketing trends with industry leaders. My passion lies in helping global businesses grow their revenue-generating teams through strategic hiring and fractional CMO services.
About Armstrong Lloyd
Armstrong Lloyd goes above and beyond being a pure search firm - we partner with your business because we have all stood in your shoes as experienced hiring managers, marketing, and operational business leaders. We have a hidden network that goes beyond LinkedIn searches, adverts, or referrals from ex-colleagues to ensure you're getting the top 1% of talent.
Whether you need interim leadership, marketing team building, or executive search across the UK and beyond, the team at Armstrong Lloyd are here to ensure you reach your commercial business goals by building the best marketing team and strategy to give you a competitive advantage.
Ready to transform your marketing team? Let's talk about how we can help you hire the right talent at the right time.
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