CMOs and CFOs are often on opposite sides of the marketing budget. The CMO wants to drive innovation, growth, and creative campaigns. The CFO wants accountability, efficiency, and proof of ROI. Traditional retainers create tension, leaving both leaders frustrated.
Hour-based marketing subscriptions change the equation. With transparency and flexibility, they provide a system where CMOs and CFOs can finally align on what matters: measurable business outcomes.
The CFO’s Lens
CFOs are numbers-driven. Retainers often feel like black boxes: money goes out, but it’s not always clear what comes back.
Hour-based subscriptions solve this by providing:
- Transparent tracking of every hour.
- Reports that connect spend directly to outcomes.
- The ability to forecast with confidence.
This makes marketing not just an expense, but an investment that pays off visibly.
The CMO’s Lens
CMOs thrive on agility. They need to pivot strategies quickly when consumer behavior shifts or when campaigns outperform expectations. Retainers are too rigid for this pace.
Hour-based marketing gives CMOs:
- The power to reallocate resources instantly.
- Data to defend creative strategies to stakeholders.
Flexibility to test, learn, and iterate without renegotiations.
Alignment Through Transparency
Platforms like Lionshare.app create a shared language between finance and marketing. Hours logged become the bridge:
- The CFO sees the cost and outcome.
- The CMO sees the strategy and execution.
- Both align on ROI.
This transforms budget conversations from conflict to collaboration.
Real Example
A SaaS client at Savage Global Marketing shifted 25% of hours from brand awareness campaigns into paid search after reviewing Lionshare data. The result:
- Lead quality improved by 30%.
- CAC dropped by 18%.
Both the CMO and CFO signed off on scaling the model company-wide.
Final Word
When CMOs and CFOs align, brands thrive. Hour-based marketing models foster that alignment by combining creativity, accountability, and measurable ROI.
At Savage Global Marketing, we’ve seen it firsthand: hour-based transparency turns budget debates into growth strategies.
