Business Growth Strategies For CEOs: Top CMOs On Marketing Strategy Implementations

The Contrarian Brand Play: Why Right Now Is the Best Time to Invest in Brand

Fri, Sep 18, 2026 | Posted by Doug Bell

Executive Takeaways

Most companies are cutting brand spend to fund rising paid acquisition costs. That is the wrong response.
Brand awareness now drives AI citations, and AI citations drive Day One shortlist inclusion.
Google's redesign of Search makes brand recognition more important; AI systems favor brands users already know.
The companies investing in brand while competitors pull back are building advantages at lower cost.

Part 4 of our four-part series on the evolving AI search landscape and what B2B leaders need to know to stay competitive.

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Are CFOs from Mars and CMOs from Venus?

Mon, Mar 18, 2019 — How credible and accountable is your marketing team? Many companies struggle with a significant credibility gap between the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and their marketing counterparts. And it’s usually the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) or VP of Marketing who is seen as the initiator of questionable commitments or requestor for budget with indefensible return-on-investment (ROI) assumptions. Marketing spends money, lots of it. But what is this spending actually buying the company? And who is accountable for the results and being proactive in presenting them?

Growth Insights for CEOs

The Contrarian Brand Play: Why Right Now Is the Best Time to Invest in Brand

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Are CFOs from Mars and CMOs from Venus?

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