Strategic Marketing Focus on Value Creation Outperforms Speed, Boosts Shareholder Returns by 79%-New Research Reveals
Strategic marketing emphasizing value creation over mere speed delivers significantly higher shareholder returns, according to new research from PwC and the ANA. The study reveals that leading marketers generate 79% greater total shareholder value compared to their peers, driven by a “flywheel” of integrated efforts encompassing execution, brand strength, and profit—working together to create sustainable enterprise growth.
The findings highlight the importance of focusing on effectiveness rather than solely on efficiency, especially amid the current wave of AI adoption. While many see AI as a tool for cost-cutting and speed, the report warns that such surface-level thinking risks undermining long-term value. Instead, top-performing companies leverage AI to accelerate impact, reinvest savings, and strengthen their brands, ultimately transforming marketing into a self-reinforcing engine of enterprise value.
Investors taking a strategic approach to marketing have also seen tangible benefits. A portfolio weighted towards companies excelling across the value-creation flywheel since 2020 would have generated a 23.3% return, surpassing the S&P 500 by nearly 9 percentage points.
The report emphasizes three key areas for marketers: demonstrating marketing’s role in creating value, building trust through strategic alliances, and resisting the temptation to cut costs at the expense of growth. When AI is harnessed beyond just boosting speed and reducing expenses, companies can unlock more than twice the marketing-driven profitability.
Based on data from 190 companies over five years, including analysis of over 5,000 Cannes Lions awards, PwC and ANA’s research links marketing efforts to $1.3 trillion in brand equity and $170 billion in annual marketing investments, which collectively contribute to approximately $1.8 trillion in shareholder returns each year.
Used narrowly, AI can make marketing less expensive—faster content, smaller budgets, leaner teams. Used strategically, it can make marketing indispensable—unlocking new growth, higher profitability, and greater enterprise value,” the report concludes.