C-suite pressure is steering mid-size marketing toward quick wins

A new note from consultant Husam Jandal says CEOs, CFOs and boards are pushing marketers toward short-term tactics instead of full digital strategies, a shift that can weaken long-term growth for mid-size businesses. Jandal is pointing companies to a new guide on HusamJandal.com that lays out a more structured approach.

Why it matters: - Mid-size businesses risk trading durable growth for temporary performance when leadership rewards only near-term marketing wins. - The shift can leave teams underinvested in strategy, capability building and future planning. - Jandal says a complete digital marketing strategy helps align spending, execution and reporting with business goals.

What happened: - Husam Jandal said executives are unintentionally pushing teams away from comprehensive digital marketing strategies and toward isolated tactics. - The comments came in a July 14, 2026 press release from Toronto. - Jandal pointed readers to “Digital Marketing Strategy for Mid-Size Companies: The Complete Guide,” now live on HusamJandal.com.

The details: - 59% of marketers feel increasing pressure from CEOs to prove marketing’s value. - 56% feel that pressure from CFOs. - 45% feel that pressure from boards. - 70.6% respond by focusing on short-term impact over long-run gains. - 25.5% limit the ambition of marketing goals. - 26.8% emphasize spending over building capabilities. - Marketers spend 31.8% of their time preparing for the future. - Jandal said executives are right to expect marketing to prove value, but pressure can steer teams toward the fastest visible wins. - Jandal said those wins can come at the expense of a stable long-term strategy.

Between the lines: - The release frames a familiar tension in marketing: leadership wants measurable returns, while teams may lose strategic discipline under constant scrutiny. - Jandal is positioning strategy, not just tactics, as the safeguard against that drift. - The argument also suggests that mid-size companies may need outside expertise to execute effectively without building a large in-house team.

What's next: - Jandal is urging mid-size companies to assess performance, goals, competitors, sales processes, systems and customer personas before choosing channels. - He recommends using a structured framework such as the Digital Marketing Tree to sequence initiatives. - Jandal says budgets should be based on customer lifetime value. - He says reporting should be tied to the decisions leadership needs to make. - The release directs interested readers to HusamJandal.com for more information. - Jandal also is promoting his speaking and consultancy services through the same site.

The bottom line: - The message is simple: marketing teams can prove value now without sacrificing the strategy needed for lasting growth.