Companies are understandably obsessed with measuring marketing performance. They want some “accountability,” and all eyes are on the CMO to produce a return on investment. With their budgets, brands, and jobs on the line, CMOs are in hot pursuit of metrics that show that their programs work. A few years ago, such measurements were difficult to implement and inexact, but new data sources, technologies, and tools have made it possible to link marketing investments directly to market share, sales, and profits.
A version of this article appeared in the June 2005 issue of Harvard Business Review.
