Insight

Let me start by acknowledging an inconvenient truth of B2B, something we all feel but rarely talk about: growth has lost its spark.

We’re living in an era defined by missed targets and failed ambitions.

For CMOs, the pressure feels relentless. You’re tasked with driving growth in a world where the rules keep changing, where buyers feel misunderstood and where targets seem to climb higher every quarter.

And it’s not just about the numbers. It’s about the stakes. Every campaign, every decision, feels like it carries the weight of your company’s future. And – let’s face it – over the past few years, that weight feels crushing.

The old playbook of product-led growth and outdated lead generation tactics is broken.

It’s no wonder that, in a recent Gartner CMO survey, 84% of respondents stated that their company must completely or significantly change their brand identity, culture and mission in the next 3-5 years.

This is a critical inflection point: a moment of strategic change where the stakes have never been higher. All eyes are on you to solve the crisis. It’s a call to either step up or step aside.

To succeed, you need to shape markets to your advantage, forge respect with the C-suite and redefine your company’s growth trajectory.

None of this is easy. In fact, it’s overwhelming, draining and demoralizing.

But what if there was a better way to grow?

Imagine a different kind of growth. Growth that isn’t just about MQLS, KPIs and meaningless vanity metrics, but about creating real business impact.

In most cases, the traditional growth drivers of M&A, product innovation, new services and geographic expansion fall outside of the remit of CMOs, but we have our own growth toolbox to play with. This covers three areas: Brand, Authority building and Demand.

• Growth that builds brands buyers not only buy from but buy into.
• Growth that unites teams, making employees feel inspired and proud to contribute.
• Growth that empowers leaders to step into their potential, leaving a legacy of transformation.

At Rooster Punk, we believe that true growth happens in three dimensions:

1. Business Growth: Driving measurable, sustainable success that makes your brand a trusted leader in your market.

2. Cultural Growth: Energizing your teams with a unifying story that fosters pride, ambition and shared purpose.

3. Personal Growth: Empowering leaders to craft their personal brands, inspire their teams and shape the future of their organizations.

When these three types of growth come together, the result isn’t just success: it’s joy. Joy in seeing your brand thrive, your teams rally, and your own leadership leave a lasting mark.

The Challenges We Face

But let’s talk about the reality. For many CMOs, growth feels more like a treadmill than a triumph. And here’s why:

• ·Buyers today are more informed, sceptical and demanding. They don’t want features – they want connection.
• Internally, teams are often disconnected and uninspired, lacking a clear vision to align behind.
• In the C-suite, CMOs are frequently fighting for the importance of brand, battling short-term demands that prioritize lead-gen over long-term equity.

And the tools we’ve been handed – the old playbook of product-driven speeds, feeds and transactional tactics – aren’t helping. They’re outdated, uninspired and disconnected from what buyers and teams truly need.

But here’s the thing: the problem isn’t your ambitions. It’s the strategies and tactics being used to achieve them.

So the question is: what if we changed the playbook? What if we embraced a different way to grow?

At Rooster Punk, we believe the key to unlocking the joy of growth lies in humanizing it.

1. Humanizing Business Growth:

• Shift from features to feelings. Buyers don’t make decisions on logic alone; they buy on emotion.
• Brand is a sales amplifier. Your brand should be your greatest tool for driving trust, loyalty and conversion.
• Balance short-term wins with long-term impact. Every campaign should contribute to both immediate results and lasting equity.

2. Humanizing Cultural Growth:

• Unite teams with a shared story. When employees feel connected to the brand’s purpose, they don’t just work harder, they work smarter.
• Build a culture of pride. Celebrate milestones and create momentum that inspires ambition across your organization.

3. Humanizing Personal Growth:

• Empower leaders as storytellers. CMOs and other leaders should embrace their role as influencers, crafting narratives that inspire confidence and action.
• Invest in thought leadership. Position yourself and your team as visionaries shaping the industry.
• Thrive authentically. Lead with humanity and purpose, rediscovering the passion that brought you into this role in the first place.

When we humanize growth across these dimensions, we move from transactional to transformational, from grind to joy.

Brand-Led Growth Is the Answer

It’s an engine that makes everything work:

• The sales amplifier that connects emotional storytelling with measurable business outcomes.
• The cultural unifier that aligns teams and inspires pride.
• The platform for leadership that empowers you to drive transformation, not just manage marketing.

When your brand is strong, everything else gets easier. Sales cycles shorten, teams feel connected, and leaders operate from a place of confidence and purpose.

A Call to Action

To every CMO across the planet: this is your moment.

Growth doesn’t have to feel like a grind. It doesn’t have to be about short-term wins and constant pressure.

Growth can and should be human. It can unite business, cultural, and personal growth into a single force that drives pride, connection, and momentum at every level.

Let’s embrace the joy of growth. Let’s make our brands the engines of trust, loyalty, and transformation. Let’s inspire our teams, connect with our customers, and rediscover why we love what we do.

Because growth isn’t just a destination, it’s an experience. And it’s one we can all live, share and enjoy.