Study: Most Marketers Struggle To Align Brand Strategy With C-Suite Priorities.

A new report from WARC and a coalition of advertising effectiveness firms says marketers continue to struggle to bridge the divide between brand-building and performance advertising, despite widespread agreement that combining the two approaches delivers stronger business results.

The report, “The Multiplier Playbook — The CMO’s guide to integrating brand and performance,” was released Tuesday in partnership with Analytic Partners, BERA.ai, Prophet and System1. It draws on a survey of more than 200 senior marketers conducted with the Association of National Advertisers between December 2025 and March 2026.

The study identified eight cultural, procedural and structural “blockers” that prevent companies from effectively integrating long-term brand advertising with short-term performance marketing.

Among the findings, 60% of marketers said their C-suite does not fully understand the role of advertising, while only 21% strongly agreed that advertising objectives are aligned with broader corporate goals.

The report also found that organizational silos remain a major obstacle. Nearly half of respondents, 49%, said their companies maintain separate brand and performance teams, while 65% reported operating with separate budgets for each discipline. Only 44% said the teams share a common language or understanding of growth-driving audiences.

The findings build on last year’s Multiplier Effect study, which found that brands shifting from a performance-only strategy to a combined brand-and-performance approach achieved a 90% median increase in revenue return on investment.

David Tiltman, Chief Content Officer at WARC and SVP Content at LIONS Intelligence, said marketers often understand the theory behind advertising effectiveness but face practical barriers in applying it.

“Since the launch of The Multiplier Effect study last year, it has become clear that the challenges facing marketers are not about knowing the theory,” Tiltman says in a release. “Most CMOs cannot simply change their strategic and investment approach wholesale without overcoming a number of hurdles.”

“What is needed is a Playbook — a combination of data, frameworks and real-world examples that help marketers recognize the key ‘blockers’ they might face — and give them some ‘plays’ to help them take action and make progress. The Multiplier Playbook does just that.”

The report said many executives continue to view advertising primarily through short-term efficiency metrics such as return on ad spend, or ROAS, rather than as a broader investment in brand value and long-term growth.

While 67% of marketers surveyed said their CEOs believe brand is important, only 19% said senior leadership routinely connects improvements in brand equity to measurable business outcomes.

Researchers argued that this disconnect narrows the perceived role of advertising, treating it as a “cost of sale” rather than a driver of enterprise value.

The report also pointed to creative execution as another area where companies fall short. According to data from Analytic Partners ROI Genome, 90% of advertisements are not given enough time to “wear in” and reach full effectiveness.

At the same time, 41% of marketers surveyed in separate research from System1 and Effie Worldwide cited perceived risk as a barrier to more creative advertising strategies, while 52% reported lacking confidence in advertising effectiveness overall.

The report recommends marketers adopt a “fewer, bigger, longer” approach to campaigns and improve coordination between media, creative and measurement teams.