Marketing leaders are increasingly being measured against commercial performance rather than traditional campaign metrics alone.
That’s the pattern I keep hearing about from hiring managers, and I think it deserves more attention than it usually gets. It changes who belongs on a shortlist for a marketing leadership role, well before that person is in the seat reporting on results.
The expectation has moved past campaign delivery
Pipeline generation, customer acquisition efficiency, retention and revenue contribution have become core expectations across many organisations, not a specialism that sits within a broader marketing remit.
A few years ago, a marketing leader could build a strong case on campaign delivery, brand growth and engagement numbers.
Commercial outcomes have since moved from a secondary reporting line to the main measure of whether marketing leadership is doing its job well, and that’s worth building into how you assess a candidate before they’re in the role, not after.
Three capabilities to test for in a marketing leadership hire
Hiring managers are prioritising marketers who can confidently communicate commercial outcomes, influence executive stakeholders and demonstrate measurable business impact beyond impressions, clicks and engagement.
Each of those is worth testing for directly rather than assuming it from a CV.
- Communicating commercial outcomes: a candidate can explain, without hesitation, how a piece of marketing activity moved a commercial number, in language that would hold up in front of a CEO or CFO. Ask them to talk you through one, in their own words, without leaning on a deck.
- Influencing executive stakeholders: a candidate has a track record of getting other functions- sales, finance, product- to act on what marketing is telling them, beyond presenting to them. Ask how they’ve changed a decision outside marketing using their data or their case.
- Demonstrating measurable business impact: a candidate can point to pipeline, retention or acquisition efficiency they’ve influenced, with the reasoning behind the number, not the number alone. Ask what they’d have done differently if that number had gone the other way.
Change what you ask for in the interview, not only the job description
If your interview process still asks candidates to describe the campaigns they’ve run and the channels they’ve managed, you’re testing for the part of the job that’s become the baseline.
You’re not testing for the part that determines whether they’ll succeed at the commercial level. Ask a candidate to walk you through one specific business outcome they influenced- revenue, retention or acquisition efficiency- and how they communicated that outcome to executives.
That question alone will tell you more about their fit for a marketing leadership role than a full list of campaigns and channels ever will.
Ready to talk about your next marketing hire? Get in touch.
Lilian
Digital Marketing, Social & Analytics Recruitment
Last updated: August 2026
