CONVERSATIONS WITH MARTECH. Growing and Measuring Brands

Is the way we build and measure brands changing?

That is the question at the heart of this conversation between MarTech.org Editorial Director and host Mike Pastore and Benoit Garbe.

Benoit Garbe is founder and President of QUINT Advisory, a consultancy dedicated to helping CEOs and executive teams deliver on their topline growth and value creation mandate. He is also an advisory Board Member at Tracksuit, and a former Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer at AB InBev.

Published by MarTech.org—a trusted source for marketing and technology professionals—this interview explores how the definition of brand is evolving, and how the tools and expectations around measurement are shifting just as fast.

Conversation between MarTech.org Editorial Director Mike Pastore and Benoit Garbe, Quint Advisory.

In this episode, the conversation explores how brand measurement is moving closer to marketing activities and investments—and what that shift means for marketers looking to lead growth in today’s environment. Garbe also shares why now is the time to reframe both brand building and the role of the CMO.

Is brand measurement still as difficult as it used to be?

Measurement has always been essential. Across categories—luxury, CPG, B2B, healthcare—it is clear: you measure what you treasure.

Today, the tools are no longer the problem. We have more data, better platforms, and AI that helps make sense of it all. Measurement is more flexible, more accessible, and more actionable.

What has become more complex is the role of the marketer. The CMO operates in a space defined by constant change—first digital, then e-commerce, then data and martech, now AI. Expectations are rising, but definitions remain inconsistent.

That is why it is time to reframe the CMO role. We need to move from communication or digital leadership to value creation—where the CMO leads the growth agenda. When that happens, measurement becomes a tool for identifying growth moves and defining jobs to be done. It shifts from retrospective justification to forward-looking strategy. That is how marketing becomes a true driver of enterprise value.

Has measurement become more real-time and responsive to change?

Yes. We used to look in the rearview mirror. There was always a delay between brand activity and measurable impact. But with today’s tools—predictive analytics, AI, dynamic dashboards—we are much closer to real-time insight.

Even static data can be mapped against the strategy. How do we enter a new category? Where is there opportunity to expand willingness to pay? What are the best cross-sell paths?

The integration of measurement and strategy allows for more precise planning and more responsive decision-making. It is a shift from measurement as proof to measurement as guidance.

What can B2B and B2C marketers learn from each other?

B2C marketers bring strong disciplines in human-centric strategy, channel integration, and resource allocation. These capabilities are increasingly relevant in B2B.

At the same time, some of the most innovative and rigorous marketing organizations today are in B2B—Google, Visa, Shopify, Salesforce. Their talent would add tremendous value in any consumer-facing context.

More important than sector are the traits that define great marketers. I call them the Five Powers:

• Curiosity – The drive to explore, learn, and adapt.

• Empathy – Understanding the customer’s motivations, not just their behaviors.

• Collaboration – Building strong partnerships across the organization.

• Whole-Brain Thinking – Balancing creative vision with analytical rigor.

• Intentionality – Focusing on what matters most and eliminating distractions.

These traits transcend industry. They are what make marketing leaders effective—regardless of whether they are working in B2B or B2C.

What are the signs that a brand is healthy—before sales results show up?

Many organizations chase a single, definitive metric. That is a mistake. The better approach is to build an integrated view—a dashboard that aligns finance, sales, and marketing in one place.

Brand equity is a proven predictor of long-term growth. But traditional brand tracking has been slow, expensive, and often disconnected from near-term action. That is changing.

New tools—like Tracksuit, where I serve as an advisor—are making brand measurement faster, more dynamic, and more practical. They connect brand activity to outcomes in a way that enables timely decision-making.

When brand data is closer to marketing activities and investments, it becomes more useful. It allows marketers to adjust faster, align better with business outcomes, and make smarter choices about where to invest next.

Have companies lost the patience to build brands over time?

It is less about patience and more about adapting to new realities. Private equity-backed companies often operate with 3–5-year horizons. Public companies face quarterly pressures. That drives a need to show early signs of impact—fast.

This creates tension between long-term brand building and short-term performance. But it should not be a choice between the two. The right mindset is brand and demand.

Brand investment is a multiplier. Without it, performance marketing is less efficient.

We also need to redefine what we mean by brand. It is not just advertising or communications. Brand includes purpose, product, service, culture, leadership. It is what the business does, not just what it says.

Which is why the role of CMO should be understood as a business architect—someone who connects the dots across every part of the organization to build consistent, long-term value.

As brand strategy and performance marketing converge, CMOs are rethinking how they lead growth. This conversation explores the future of growing and measuring brands—from evolving metrics and real-time data to the expanded role of marketing leadership in driving enterprise value.