{"id":37488,"date":"2025-11-19T20:57:38","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T20:57:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prophet.com\/?p=37488"},"modified":"2025-12-08T20:13:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T20:13:17","slug":"balancing-brand-and-demand-a-growth-leaders-perspective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prophet.com\/2025\/11\/balancing-brand-and-demand-a-growth-leaders-perspective\/","title":{"rendered":"Balancing Brand and Demand: A Growth Leader\u2019s Perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Balancing Brand and Demand: A Growth Leader\u2019s Perspective  <\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Uncommon Growth Leaders<\/strong> is an article series featuring bold leaders driving faster, smarter, more sustainable, more human and more actionable growth \u2014 what we call uncommon growth.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Fred Ehle is no stranger to big brands, bold ideas and transformational growth. With leadership roles at McDonald\u2019s, Redbox, Pulte and Rocket Mortgage, he has lived the tension between long-term brand building and short-term performance and has strong views on how marketing must evolve to truly drive enterprise value. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this candid conversation with Scott Davis, Chief Growth Officer at Prophet, Fred shares insights on the CMO\u2019s changing role, aligning the C-suite around brand, the real impact of AI and how Rocket\u2019s \u201cOwn the Dream\u201d campaign came to life at the Super Bowl. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s start with your journey. What led you to Rocket Mortgage? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Fred Ehle:<\/strong> I\u2019ve had a great run across both agency and client-side roles. When the opportunity with Rocket Mortgage came up, it was a compelling moment. The company was already a major player in the category, but they were looking to evolve from a high-volume lead-gen machine to a modern, full-funnel marketing organization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jonathan Mildenhall had recently joined as CMO, and he was setting out to build a marketing function that could drive both brand and business results. The chance to help shape that transformation \u2014 and to bring together brand, creative and growth under one roof \u2014 was too exciting to pass up.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many reports suggest that CMOs are losing influence \u2014 shrinking budgets, short tenures and fading confidence in the role. What\u2019s your take? Is this cyclical or something deeper?\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

FE<\/strong>: It\u2019s something deeper. Marketing\u2019s been losing ground in the C-suite for a while \u2014 and in some cases, we\u2019ve done it to ourselves. As I often say, Marketing has a marketing problem.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, we\u2019ve allowed the definition of marketing to get fuzzy. The function has blurred into areas like digital and IT, making it harder to define our value clearly. Then there\u2019s our own jargon \u2014 terms like \u201cgrowth marketer.\u201d What does that even mean? Shouldn\u2019t we all be growth marketers?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, many CMOs don\u2019t control all the levers of growth \u2013 pricing, product, distribution \u2014 and yet we\u2019re still held accountable for outcomes we can\u2019t fully drive. That disconnect erodes credibility.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Third, there\u2019s often a lack of alignment between business strategy and marketing KPIs. Too often, we\u2019re measuring activity, not outcomes.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And finally, some CMOs lean too heavily into communications without commercial sensibility. CEOs want profitable growth. If the CMO doesn\u2019t understand how the business makes money, or doesn\u2019t speak the language of finance, then the seat at the table becomes very fragile. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what does good<\/em> look like? What\u2019s the silver lining? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

FE<\/strong>: It comes down to alignment. At Rocket, we had that rare moment where business strategy, brand strategy and marketing execution were completely in sync \u2014 from the CEO to the board to every team member. We had real clarity around who we were targeting, what our value proposition was and the resources to bring it to life.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cOwn the Dream\u201d platform we launched at the Super Bowl wasn\u2019t just a campaign. It was the manifestation of that alignment. We built it from segmentation up: deep customer understanding, clear value prop and a singular creative idea that laddered all the way to business impact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And we proved it. Our brand health metrics tied directly to lead generation and revenue. When the brand score moved, leads followed \u2014 six months later.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brand marketing often struggles to win over CFOs. How do you make the case for investment to build trust? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

FE<\/strong>: Data and testing. We ran small-scale full-funnel experiments that demonstrated clear efficiency gains. At Rocket, nothing got funded unless it tied to measurable KPIs \u2014 brand health, leads, conversions, or share growth.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By connecting brand health scores to downstream business results (like share gains six months later), we created a line of sight from brand to revenue. That kind of evidence earned CFO support and unlocked real investment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s talk brand and demand marketing. That debate is louder than ever. How do you approach it? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

FE:<\/strong> It\u2019s not either\/or \u2014 it\u2019s both\/and. That sounds simple, but the execution is hard.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reality in our business is, up to 95% of your potential customers aren\u2019t in-market at any given time. If you spend all your dollars chasing the 5% who are, you\u2019re ignoring tomorrow\u2019s demand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key is balance. In some businesses, it\u2019s 60\/40 brand-to-performance; in others, 40\/60. But leaning too far into performance just drives up customer acquisition costs as competitors bid on the same eyeballs. That was happening at Rocket before we pivoted to a more balanced approach. Full-funnel marketing ultimately proved more efficient, not less. When people recognize your brand and trust you, the funnel gets more efficient. But you have to prove that with data, especially to the CFO <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s rewind to the Super Bowl campaign. \u201cOwn the Dream\u201d was a big swing. What made it work? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

FE<\/strong>: We had a powerful emotional insight: 91% of people want to own a home, but 53% of first-time buyers cry during the process, and not tears of joy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That insight drove everything. Our creative agency brought us \u201cOwn the Dream,\u201d and it clicked. It honored that tension\u2014between aspiration and frustration \u2014 and gave us a rallying cry.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Super Bowl spot itself was powerful, but the in-stadium activation was the magic. Fans singing along to \u201cTake Me Home, Country Roads\u201d created this emotional, collective moment. It generated over a billion earned impressions. Social sentiment was 90% positive, cutting across demographics and political lines. And it felt<\/em> like Rocket \u2014 authentic, optimistic, human.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What role does AI play in all of this? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

FE<\/strong>: AI is an enabler, not a strategy. But it\u2019s a powerful one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Rocket, we used AI to remove friction from the mortgage process. We already allow customers to refinance without talking to a human if they choose. That\u2019s real transformation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From a marketing lens, AI helped us get to insights faster, segment smarter and personalize at scale. But again, it\u2019s not about the tool \u2014 it\u2019s about what you do<\/em> with it.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But AI doesn\u2019t replace critical thinking. AI can surface a trend. It can write the first draft. But it can\u2019t feel what will resonate. That\u2019s still the human job. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last question. What advice do you have for fellow CMOs trying to lead through this complexity? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

FE<\/strong>: Three things: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Don\u2019t abandon fundamentals.<\/strong> Segmentation, positioning, emotional resonance, they matter more than ever. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Get close to your CFO.<\/strong> Tie brand health to business outcomes. Don\u2019t just show marketing metrics \u2014 show impact.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Be the Voice of the Customer.<\/strong> Bring the outside in. Share insight with your peers. Help the business make better bets. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    And one bonus: Run small tests.<\/strong> When you\u2019re at odds with your CEO or CFO, don\u2019t argue \u2014 test. Let the market decide.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Fred Ehle <\/strong>is a senior marketing leader recognized for driving business and brand success through major inflection points from turnarounds and rebrands to scalable growth. With a career spanning Fortune 500, private equity and privately held companies including Rocket, Jockey International, Redbox, McDonald\u2019s and PulteGroup, Fred consistently delivers top- and bottom-line impact. His approach blends deep consumer focus with fearless, data-driven decision-making and strong cross-functional leadership. A Gold Effie and Cannes Gold Lion winner and three-time OnCon Top 100 Marketer, has shaped strategy, innovation and omni-channel execution for more than twenty brands \u2014 launching breakthrough products, redefining business models and building high-performance teams that drive lasting growth.<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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