Why Great CMOs Act Like Orchestrators, Not Megaphones

Summary

The article argues that modern marketing is no longer a peripheral function but the central glue that aligns product, sales and strategy. Great CMOs act as orchestrators — they embed marketing early in product conversations, influence without formal authority, coordinate cross-functional work, and design systems that scale rather than executing every task themselves.

Key Points

Marketing should be embedded at the start of product and strategy discussions, not brought in at the demo stage.
Influence beats authority: leaders must earn trust, prove value early and treat internal comms like marketing campaigns.
Top marketers act as glue — coordinating teams, creating shared timelines and turning single-team projects into collective efforts.
Orchestration (building systems and clarity) delivers more leverage than hands-on execution by the CMO.
When marketing is truly embedded, launches land better, sales cycles shorten and targets become more attainable.

Content Summary

The author, Halyna Divakova, outlines how the role of marketing in B2B has shifted from broadcasting messages to orchestrating cross-functional outcomes. She draws on experience across stages of company growth to show why marketing must be present early in product conversations to shape positioning and storytelling.

Divakova offers practical advice for influencing without authority: involve stakeholders early, borrow authority when needed, and package internal requests like external campaigns with clear calls to action. She illustrates coordination with a real example of running an executive dinner where marketing prepares lists, asks for sales input, sets joint timelines and uses public recognition to keep partners engaged.

The piece concludes that the highest-leverage CMOs stop measuring impact by output and start designing repeatable frameworks and visibility that allow others to plug in — turning marketing into a function that drives alignment and business growth.

Context and Relevance

This article matters because organisations increasingly need cross-functional alignment to compete in longer, more complex B2B sales cycles. It connects to broader trends: martech complexity, demand for data-informed product stories, and the need for marketing to lead initiatives like AI adoption and customer experience programmes. For anyone involved in growth strategy, product launch planning or sales enablement, the orchestration mindset reduces friction and improves outcomes.

Why should I read this?

Short version: if you work with marketing, sell to enterprise customers or run growth, this saves you time. It’s a compact, practical playbook on how CMOs actually get things done without shouting louder — think structured touchpoints, internal campaigns and frameworks that scale. Read it for the tactics you can apply next week.

Author style

Punchy — the author writes with clear, actionable advice and real-world examples. If you’re a CMO or aspiring leader, take this as a nudge to move from doing to designing: it amplifies why the details matter and how small process shifts unlock measurable impact.