“I’m in a small town and the only one for miles who knows anything about marketing, including our C-suite. It gets very lonely,” shared a CMO from a $45 million services company. If that line doesn’t give you shivers, you’re probably not a CMO.

Small Town, Big Expectations

Being the lone marketer in the C-suite is like a penguin trying to teach marketing to a polar bear. You live on opposite ends of the earth, speak completely different languages, and see the world through entirely different lenses. The polar bear nods politely while you explain customer journeys and brand equity, but you can tell they are just waiting for the fish course.

How Do You Teach the Unteachable?

The first question to ask: how do I help my peers see marketing’s impact? PowerPoint decks and monthly reports often fall short. The C-suite needs proof that marketing is driving revenue, retention, and a competitive advantage, not just clicks and clever campaigns.

Start with Their Pain

The fastest way to get their attention is to speak to what keeps them up at night. CFO worried about margins? Show how marketing lowers CAC and prevents churn. CRO hungry for pipeline? Hand them qualified opportunities. CEOs live for growth, so draw a direct line between marketing investment and business outcomes, short-term and long-term.

Bring Them into the Arena

Customer Advisory Boards, win/loss reviews, event keynotes—these are not just marketing’s domain. Invite your peers to participate. When they hear the customer voice unfiltered or feel the energy of the market up close, they will not need convincing that marketing matters.

Be the Innovation Engine

CMOs are leading the charge on generative AI. Do not hide in pilot purgatory. Demonstrate how AI compresses campaign cycles, cuts costs, and unleashes creativity. A single well-executed experiment can turn skeptics into advocates overnight.

Speak in Business, Not Marketing

Jargon is the enemy. Ditch the CTRs and impressions. Talk pipeline velocity, customer lifetime value, pricing power, and win rates. When you speak their language, you stop being “the brand person” and start being the growth driver.

Build Your Own Peer Group

Even if you do all this, the job can still feel lonely. That is why you need a community of fellow CMOs who have been there, done that, and solved the exact problems you are facing.

The Bottom Line

You can survive being the only marketer in the room or town, but you do not have to go it alone. Join CMO Huddles and connect with peers who will help you stay ahead, share what works, and celebrate the wins with you. Plus, we will send you a penguin "stress ball" to crush when the CFO requests another ROI report. You can try it free and see how much lighter the job feels.

For those new to CMO Huddles, it's helpful to know that a group of penguins is called a huddle, and that CMO Huddles donates 1% of its revenue to the Global Penguin Society.

Written by Drew Neisser