Brand Belief Isn’t Enough Anymore 📉

Inside the CFO-Driven Shift Forcing Marketers to Turn Vibes Into Verified Business Impact 📈

Author

Vanessa Carter
June 26, 2025

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Hey there, CFOs! 💼

Welcome to this week’s edition, where we confront a pressing truth in modern marketing: the age of “just trust the brand” is over.

As economic headwinds grow stronger, finance leaders are tightening their grip on budgets—and brand spend is no longer safe by default.

📰 Upcoming in this issue

  • 📊 CFOs Demand Data: Proving Brand Value in 2025

  • 📉 FFBC Q1 2025: Navigating Margin Pressures with Operational Discipline

  • 🏠 Proptech Meets Fintech: Building a Smarter Future Together

  • 🔍 Mastering the Future: Why Accounting Is Becoming the Most Unexpected Path to Leadership in AI, ESG, and Global Finance

  • 💡 Smart Audits, Smarter Savings: How Sim Shalom’s Bold New Cost Management Solution Is Poised to Shift the IT Budget Paradigm

  • 🌱 Why Sustainability Isn’t Optional Anymore: The Essential Skillset That Will Define Tomorrow’s Business Leaders—And It Starts with You

📊 CFOs Demand Data: Proving Brand Value in 2025

As economic pressures mount, CFOs are scrutinizing marketing budgets more closely, especially brand investments. Marketers must now provide concrete, data-driven evidence of how branding efforts contribute to business outcomes to secure and justify their budgets.

Key Takeaways:

  • 📉 Brand Budgets Under Scrutiny: With 55% of marketers focusing on performance marketing and only 22% on brand, CFOs are challenging the value of brand spend, demanding measurable ROI.

  • 📏 Need for Tangible Metrics: Traditional brand metrics like awareness and preference are no longer sufficient; CFOs seek direct links between branding and financial performance.

  • 🧪 Adoption of Robust Measurement Tools: Techniques such as Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM), geographic testing, and conjoint analysis are being employed to quantify brand impact accurately.

  • 🤝 Strategic Alignment with Finance: Marketers are encouraged to collaborate closely with finance teams, aligning brand strategies with business objectives and presenting clear, financial narratives to justify brand investments.

📉 FFBC Q1 2025: Navigating Margin Pressures with Operational Discipline

First Financial Bancorp (NASDAQ: FFBC) reported Q1 2025 earnings that met expectations, with adjusted EPS of $0.63. However, revenue fell short at $200.4 million, reflecting challenges from elevated loan prepayments and margin compression. Despite these headwinds, the bank maintained strong asset quality and continued its focus on cost efficiency.

Key Takeaways:

  • 💰 Margin Compression Amid Rate Pressures: Net interest margin declined by 6 basis points to 3.88%, as asset yields decreased more than deposit costs.

  • 🏦 Stable Loan Balances with Modest Growth Outlook: Loan balances remained flat due to high prepayments in commercial and investor commercial real estate portfolios. Management anticipates modest loan growth in Q2, supported by healthy pipelines in consumer, C&I, and ICRE lines.

  • 📉 Effective Cost Management: Non-interest expenses decreased by 3.3%, driven by lower incentive compensation and reduced fraud losses. Efficiency initiatives, including a 7% reduction in full-time employees (excluding acquisitions), contributed to these savings.

  • 🛡️ Improved Asset Quality: Net charge-offs declined to 0.36% annualized, and non-performing assets decreased by 9.5%, indicating strengthening credit quality.

🏠 Proptech Meets Fintech: Building a Smarter Future Together

The convergence of property technology (PropTech) and financial technology (FinTech) is revolutionizing real estate by enhancing accessibility, transparency, and efficiency. From AI-driven valuations to blockchain-enabled investments, this synergy is democratizing property ownership and streamlining financial services.

Key Takeaways:

  • 🧠 AI-Powered Valuations: Advanced models combine traditional sales data with unstructured information—like floor plans and climate risks—to provide more accurate property valuations.

  • 🔗 Blockchain-Enabled Investments: Fractional ownership through blockchain technology allows individuals to invest in real estate with minimal capital, ensuring transparent and secure transactions.

  • 🤝 Enhanced Financial Inclusion: AI-driven credit scoring models offer a broader assessment of potential borrowers, making property financing more accessible to diverse populations.

  • 🌐 Integrated Digital Ecosystems: The fusion of PropTech and FinTech creates seamless platforms that manage everything from property listings to financing, enhancing user experience and operational efficiency.

Why It Matters

As CFOs demand proof—not promises—marketers must evolve beyond brand awareness and preference metrics.

These stories explore the tools, strategies, and financial narratives needed to protect brand investments in a data-driven era. If you want your brand budget to survive 2025, aligning with finance and speaking their language isn’t optional—it’s essential.

Vanessa Carter
Editor-in-Chief
CFO Executive Insights

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