Only 39% of marketing teams say they execute strategy very effectively. Here’s why.

To keep up with the breakneck pace of AI and shifts in the global economy, marketing leaders are leaning in and increasing their investments across digital marketing. But not every organization is executing well and seeing the same returns. The ones that do succeed share a few key characteristics in how they approach their strategies and spend.

To better understand what’s driving success, we spoke with over 350 marketing leaders and dug into their top priorities for the year. The result is our 2025 State of Marketing Report, offering a closer look at where the industry is headed and how marketing leaders are positioning themselves to stay ahead. 

Let’s dive in to understand what’s separating top-performing teams from the rest. 

The differentiator: Marketing maturity strength

While many marketing teams have a strategy in place, just 39% say they execute it “very well.” This means that an overwhelming amount of marketing teams from mid-size companies to enterprises are struggling with how to successfully deploy a marketing strategy. 

The key to fostering alignment and breaking through the swirl may surprise you. What separates the top performers isn’t more resources; the single biggest predictor of executing with confidence is marketing maturity. 

Among the companies we surveyed, 92% of those at the top of the marketing maturity scale (Advanced and Leader) were confident in their ability to execute “very well,” while only 57% of less mature marketing teams (Emerging, Laggard, and Competent) said the same. 

What is marketing maturity?

Marketing maturity is a hidden driver of success, reflecting how your organization thinks about and executes marketing. To better understand where teams stand today, we asked survey participants to self-identify their organizations on a five-point marketing maturity scale:

• Laggard: This is the bottom of the marketing maturity scale and indicates a lack of a marketing strategy. Marketing is reactive, fragmented, and lacks alignment with business goals.
• Emerging: Some basic tactics like email and social exist. However, efforts are inconsistent with limited data use.
• Competent: Competent teams employ a defined strategy and apply it across key channels. Campaigns are consistent with basic analytics.
• Leader: Leader organizations are data-informed, multi-channel, and aligned with broader business objectives.
• Advanced: Advanced organizations define their marketing as predictive, automated, and driving innovation. Their strategies are customer-centric and performance-optimized.

So what sets more confident organizations apart? Our research shows that Leader and Advanced teams share common traits: they approach strategy with operational clarity, anchor their efforts in well-defined processes, and consistently measure outcomes.

Curious where your organization lands? Digital maturity assessments can help identify where your organization fits and your readiness to compete in a digital-first economy.

What holds marketing teams back from executing well?

Many marketing teams excel at planning and strategy but far fewer follow through with impact. The difference isn’t about budget or headcount. It’s about operational clarity. We asked the “2025 State of Marketing” respondents about the top roadblocks that held teams back from executing well.

Here’s what they said:

1. Struggling with structural and operational gaps: Many teams lack internal alignment and clear processes to turn strategy into action. 
2. Lacking strategy precision: “Somewhat clear” is not enough. Without a well-defined strategy, teams can’t execute with confidence or consistency.
3. Facing roadblocks with resource constraints: Limited staffing, expertise, or budget clarity weakens execution, even when the strategy is sound.
4. Trying to operate with a leadership disconnect: Top-down strategy without buy-in across levels creates breakdowns in execution and momentum.

Performing a marketing operations audit is one way to bridge the gap between planning and execution while addressing internal alignment and process improvement. It helps uncover inefficiencies, clarify roles, and increase marketing maturity to create a foundation for more consistent, scalable execution.

Aligning around an execution strategy

If you have a strategy and are left wondering how you can act on it with more strength and efficacy while driving momentum, the answer lies within your marketing operation. Advanced and Leader companies with higher marketing maturity are more likely to:

• Align their teams
• Define clear processes
• Track outcomes 

Many also turn to external marketing partners who can support them in implementing a marketing operations audit and creating a strategic action plan to pursue goals and drive results. The State of Marketing Report found that 61% of marketing teams leveraged outside experts to help close execution gaps. An overwhelming majority (87%) were satisfied with the results.

Growing in marketing maturity this year is possible for all organizations, across industry and scale. The ones that are able to improve their strength of execution are those that aren’t afraid to assess and optimize the people, processes, and tools that support their marketing efforts. You can read about these insights and more in the 2025 State of Marketing Report.