Mark Ritson advises marketers to show CFOs sensitivity analysis for brand spend

September 13, 2026 · thedrum.com

Lauren, a senior brand and marketing manager at a global professional services company, asked Mark Ritson how to get a CFO to approve millions in long-term brand investment when the return cannot yet be proven, in episode two of Ritson's Remedies, the video series from The Drum and MiniMBA. Ritson said marketers get into trouble when they try to produce certainty in a world where there isn't any. His advice: declare the uncertainty upfront, then show finance a sensitivity analysis covering worst-case, expected and best-case outcomes. He also pointed to excess share of voice as supporting evidence, describing it as 'a long-proven, 30-year, 1,000-case-study-wide proof point.'

A sensitivity analysis showing worst-case, expected and best-case outcomes gives finance teams a range they can approve, which matters most for categories like professional services where long sales cycles make direct attribution hard. Excess share of voice, with three decades and 1,000 case studies behind it according to Ritson, gives planners a data-backed argument for sustained brand investment when a campaign's exact payback cannot be modeled.