Despite Gains, CMOs Still Struggle to Prove Value to CFOs, Finds New Research from Perion and Advertiser Perceptions

Perion, a leader in advanced technology solving for the complexities of modern advertising,  today released new research revealing persistent fragmented technology challenges in how CMOs demonstrate value to CFOs—and the performance advantages of adopting unified measurement systems.

“The CMO-CFO relationship has evolved, but many marketers are still flying blind,” said Lauren Fisher, GM of business intelligence at Advertiser Perceptions. “In the absence of clear, unified data, even the most sophisticated teams struggle to prove marketing’s financial impact. The standouts are those leveraging unified performance systems. These marketers report significantly higher alignment with finance leadership and stronger confidence in demonstrating ROI.“

The report, “Bridging the Divide: Solving Fragmentation Between Marketing and Finance,” surveyed 167 marketers across the U.S. and Canada between August 28 and September 10, 2025. The findings show that while progress has been made, many CMOs still lack the tools needed to connect marketing investment directly to business growth.

Key findings include:

• Only 22% of marketers strongly agree they have the measurement insights needed to justify value to their CFO.
• Just 21% completely agree their CFO is aligned around marketing budgets and metrics.
• 62% say they need better tools to clearly demonstrate marketing’s impact on the bottom line.
• And nearly three in four selected a “unified tracking system” as a “must-have” for the future of marketing performance.

Marketers using a unified performance system report stronger collaboration with finance, outperform peers on key business metrics, and face fewer internal barriers to proving value. However, only 23% of marketers currently have a unified system in place – a sign  of progress, but also evidence that fragmentation remains the status quo.

 “With more than three-quarters of marketers still lacking a unified measurement framework, there’s a tremendous opportunity for improvement,” said Erin McCallion, CMO at Perion. “CMOs are navigating unprecedented complexity and growing expectations for accountability. This research underscores how connected data and unified insights can strengthen marketing’s strategic role in driving business growth.”

Download the full report today!