ISBA Leadership Pathway: 'Yes, But' | The Marketing Reality Report

Marketing leaders and CEOs want the same outcome: growth. But they can see the route to it very differently. Do you know where you sit?

These differences can shape what happens to a marketing idea once it reaches the boardroom: whether it is backed, delayed, reshaped or quietly set aside.

In Yes, But: The Marketing Reality Report, former Aldi Marketing Director Kyrsten Halley examines where marketing leaders and business leaders diverge, and what those gaps mean in practice. The research brings together the perspectives of 62 marketing leaders and 39 CEOs, Managing Directors and General Managers. Its conclusion is not that one side has all the answers. It is that better marketing depends on recognising how decisions are made, challenged and carried through.

This first ISBA Leadership session brings the findings into the room. You will hear directly from Kyrsten, compare your own perspective with the research, and consider what business leaders look for when marketing asks for investment.

You will leave with practical questions for your own team and one change to make before your next board or leadership conversation.

What we will cover

• Both sides of the table: The report places business leaders’ and marketing leaders’ views alongside one another, making the points of agreement and difference visible.
• Where the gap begins: The specific drivers and barriers to great marketing that each group sees differently, drawn from the new research.
• The decisions behind the plan: The report looks beyond strategy alone, examining the behaviours, conversations and organisational dynamics that shape execution.
• How good work loses momentum: Five forces can weaken marketing between strategy and delivery: dilution, delay, downgrade, disconnection and deflation. The session explores where they appear and how leaders can respond.

You will take away

• A clearer view of how boards assess marketing proposals: What senior business leaders listen for when marketing asks for investment, from someone who has presented to boards and now sits on them.
• A useful reality check for your organisation: How your teams view compare with the research findings, plus questions to use with your team before a proposal reaches the boardroom.
• One practical change for your next leadership conversation: A focused shift to test with peers in the room and apply in your next board or leadership discussion.

Who should attend

This is a private session with limited capacity for:

• The marketing leader who takes the case to the top table, whether you sit at it or present.  
• The senior marketers who own the decisions that matter, and the conversations that get them made.  
• Typically marketing directors, but if your organisation uses Head of Brand, CMO, or something different, it could be you.