Everyone is a Consumer—But That Doesn’t Make Them a Marketing Expert

Are you an experienced marketer? If so, you’ve most likely faced the following scenario.

You’ve spent months researching your target audience’s likes, dislikes, motivators, and behaviors. You’ve analyzed every piece of marketing, consumer, and financial data you can get your hands on. You’ve done a deep dive into consumer and product trends. You’ve met at length with the sales and product teams and collected insights. And using all of this quantitative and qualitative data, you’ve put together a marketing strategy that you are confident will meet the goals. 

You are ready.

You walk into the conference room, get your PowerPoint set up, and present your strategy with confidence to the executives. You anticipate a round of applause and the recognition that all of your hard work deserves, but instead your audience responds with “Yeah, I hear what you’re saying, but…”

As they continue, you realize that everything after that “but” is their personal opinion and not grounded in what the consumer wants, needs, or will connect with. You feel deflated, anxious, and maybe even a little mad. Even worse, you realize the execs don't trust you or your team’s expertise.

In my experience, this scenario happens more often than the non-marketing C-suite or VPs would admit to. As the marketer, how you handle this frustrating feedback can make or break the success of the campaign and your relationship with leadership. So why does this happen so often?

Marketing is one field where everyone—from your CEO to your neighbor—feels like they could do the job. Why? Because we’re all consumers.

We encounter marketing everywhere; scrolling social media, binge-watching TV, and commuting to work. It’s no surprise that many executives believe they understand marketing. They’re bombarded with it every day. Furthermore, if you haven’t taken the time to build trust and confidence with the executive leadership, you and your team will always be seen as transactional versus a strategic partner.

“Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”

Personal biases from executives can unintentionally undermine data-driven marketing strategies. I spoke with Natalie Crain, a Senior Marketing Executive who has spent years navigating this challenge in the C-suite. She shared a hard truth.

“The biggest problem marketers face is that everyone thinks they’re a marketer. And in a lot of cases, the C-suite is not our target audience.”

The “Everyone’s a Consumer” Bias

One point Natalie made which resonated with me was about how executives often bring their personal consumer experiences into the conference room. “Because they see ads, shop online, and have a TikTok account, they think they know what works.” she explained.

This is the “Everyone’s a consumer” bias. An individual’s very personal and subjective experience as a consumer doesn’t always (or let’s face it, usually) align with what resonates with the intended target audience. And while every opinion matters, relying too heavily on anecdotal evidence and personal experiences can create blind spots.

Natalie shared another common scenario. “A CFO might say, ‘I don’t click on online ads, so they must not work.’ Or a CEO might push for a specific creative direction because they personally like it. But that doesn’t mean it’s what resonates with the consumer.”

Her advice? “It’s important to respectfully acknowledge their perspective while bringing the conversation back to the customer. I’ll say, ‘I hear you, but let me show you what resonates with our target audience based on the data.’”

Here’s another tactic. Before sharing any strategic planning or campaign documentation with the executives, take a few minutes at the beginning of the presentation to remind everyone who the consumer is for this particular strategy. Get as detailed as you can to paint a clear picture of the target audience. This helps to put them in the appropriate headspace before reviewing the plans.

How to Overcome the Bias

So, how can marketing leaders break through this bias? The answer lies with these three key strategies: using data to tell a compelling story, reframing marketing’s impact in terms of business goals, and creating trust in marketing.

1. Let Data Lead the Conversation
“Data is the great equalizer,” Natalie said. “When you’re faced with opinions, come back with the numbers. Show them the ROI, the cost per acquisition, the click-through rates—anything that ties marketing’s work to measurable outcomes.”

But raw numbers aren’t enough. She stressed the importance of weaving those numbers into a narrative that resonates. “You can’t just say, ‘Here’s our ROAs.’ You have to explain why it matters. For example, if we increased our return on ad spend by 30%, how did that impact customer acquisition or revenue growth? That’s the story executives want to hear.”

2. Tie Marketing to Business Goals
Executives are laser-focused on the bottom line. To gain their buy-in, marketing leaders must show how campaigns align with broader business objectives and not rely solely on the marketing performance data to tell the story.

“The first step is understanding what the company is trying to achieve—whether that’s customer retention, acquisition, or brand awareness,” she said. “Once you know the goal, you can connect the dots between marketing strategies and those outcomes.”

For example, if the goal is customer acquisition you can emphasize how a targeted campaign brought in X number of new customers at a cost lower than industry benchmarks. If the focus is on retention, highlight how marketing efforts have improved customer loyalty or reduced churn rates.

The more you can tie your work to the company’s priorities, the harder it is to dismiss the need for marketing. It starts to move marketing from a nice-to-have to a must-have.

3. Building a Culture of Trust
Ultimately, breaking through the “everyone’s a consumer” mindset requires marketing leaders to foster trust within the C-suite.

“It’s about educating them,” Natalie explained. “You have to explain not just what’s working but why it’s working. And sometimes, that means addressing misconceptions head-on.”

She recalled a time when a CEO dismissed a branding campaign as unnecessary. “I had to show them how brand awareness impacts lead generation and long-term customer loyalty. It wasn’t easy, but once they saw the data, they started to see the bigger picture.”

“When executives understand how marketing drives business goals, they start to trust the process.”

This kind of education takes time. It can be exhausting (and sometimes demoralizing) to have to constantly educate and re-educate your colleagues, peers, and executives in other departments. But when even one person gets it, it's been worth the effort.

“When executives understand how marketing drives business goals, they start to trust the process. And that’s when you can really move the needle.”

Final Thoughts

The “everyone’s a consumer” mindset may be one of the biggest challenges marketers face, but it’s not insurmountable. By leading with data, reframing marketing’s impact in terms of business goals, and educating the C-suite on what really drives results, marketing leaders can break through biases, build trust, and have stronger, more productive relationships with their executive peers.

As Natalie put it, “Our job as marketers isn’t just to run campaigns. It’s to tell the story—through data, through outcomes, and through a clear understanding of what the customer needs. That’s how we change perceptions and show marketing’s true value.”