Boards approve massive marketing budgets, review quarterly brand metrics, nod at strategy presentations, then wonder why brand equity doesn’t translate into revenue growth or competitive advantage.
Roanne Neuwirth has spent two decades as an enterprise marketing leader, client engagement expert and advisor to executive teams and boards, and she believes the problem isn’t budget or talent. It’s that boards treat brand as something marketing handles rather than something the entire organization builds.
Make Brand a Board-Level Conversation
Brand equity is a strategic asset, not a marketing deliverable. Boards that understand this ask different questions.
“Boards should be asking: What does our brand stand for? Are we known for what matters most to our clients? How do we protect and communicate our brand’s value?” Neuwirth explains.
All boards rigorously review and track business outcome metrics and overall financial performance. But few boards look at the drivers of brand performance. Brand equity, the value created when customers choose your company over competitors at premium pricing, when top talent joins despite competing offers, doesn’t appear in quarterly dashboards.
“Elevating brand to the boardroom enables alignment between business strategy and how the company shows up in the world,” Neuwirth notes.
This prevents the disconnect where business strategy points one direction while brand messaging points another. A company pursuing large enterprise accounts while brand positioning targets the mid-market creates confusion. When boards own brand conversations, these gaps surface before they undermine execution.
Anchor Positioning in Client Insight
The strongest brand positions come from listening deeply to clients, not from internal strategy sessions.
“Clients are the best source of understanding what their challenges are and where they need help and partnership from their vendors and suppliers. When boards support client-driven strategies rooted in that deep understanding, companies build messaging that resonates more clearly, solutions that solve real problems, and experiences that foster unshakable loyalty,” Neuwirth explains.
Most positioning starts with competitive analysis, and a view from the inside-out. What makes us different? Why is our offering better than the competition? The resulting positioning is technically accurate but emotionally flat because it’s grounded in what the company wants to talk about and sell, rather than what clients value.
Client-driven positioning flips this. Start with C-suite conversations, understanding what keeps clients awake, what outcomes matter most, and what criteria drive buying decisions. Build positioning around these insights.
“I’ve seen organizations unlock powerful growth simply by grounding their positioning in authentic client insight, especially from C-suite conversations,” Neuwirth notes.
What companies think differentiates them often matters less to clients than attributes they consider commoditized. Technology firms emphasize innovation when C-suite buyers value solving their big, meaty go-to-market problems. Consulting firms highlight their methodologies when clients care about outcome guarantees.
When boards insist on C-suite client input into positioning decisions, companies build brands that resonate because they reflect actual client priorities rather than internal assumptions.
Invest in Executive Visibility
Boards amplify brand equity by empowering and expecting their leadership teams and executives to lead with voice and vision.
“Visible leadership humanizes your brand and builds trust,” Neuwirth explains. “Your executive leaders need to be out connecting with their peers at your client companies, and with their peers in the marketplace, listening, learning and sharing their wisdom.”
Most B2B client relationships and large ticket sales involve the executive level, where trust matters more than technical specifications. Even those who work with lower level buyers on a day to day basis need to build and secure relationships with the executive leadership teams who control the budget and can make or break a long term account. C-suite buyers evaluate whether companies understand the strategic challenges leadership faces. The most impactful way to make those connections is for your executives to be the visible voice of your company, building that trust directly with those clients.
“I work with companies to develop executive narratives that position the brand as not just relevant, but essential,” Neuwirth notes.
This requires executives who articulate clear points of view on industry trends and client challenges. It requires boards expecting executives to engage publicly, allocating time for thought leadership, and accepting that executive visibility serves business strategy even when direct ROI is hard to measure.
Executive visibility creates brand equity that marketing campaigns can’t replicate. Clients buy from companies whose executives demonstrate an understanding of the challenges they face.
Measure What Links to Business Impact
Boards must ensure organizations measure brand in ways that link directly to business impact.
“When brand performance is tracked alongside financial metrics, it becomes a true lever for enterprise value,” Neuwirth emphasizes.
Most brand measurement focuses on awareness, consideration, and sentiment. Metrics that don’t connect to business outcomes boards care about. Increasing awareness means nothing if it doesn’t translate into revenue. Improving sentiment doesn’t matter if client retention declines.
Effective brand measurement tracks metrics boards already care about. Does brand perception correlate with win rates? Does executive visibility impact deal velocity? Does client loyalty track with brand strength?
When brand performance gets tracked alongside financial metrics, boards see brand as a lever for enterprise value rather than a marketing expense.
Brand Is a Board Responsibility
“By elevating brand conversations, centering on client insight, enabling executive visibility, and tracking the right metrics, boards drive high-impact positioning that fuels growth and market leadership,” Neuwirth concludes.
Organizations that treat brand as a marketing function get marketing-level results. Organizations where boards own their brand as a strategic asset get a competitive advantage.
When boards take ownership of brand strategy instead of delegating it to marketing, the brand becomes the strategic asset it should be.
Connect with Roanne Neuwirth on LinkedIn for insights on partnering with boards to drive growth through brand strategy.
