and published exclusively in the next issue of Marketing magazine, also finds that only two-thirds (67%) of chief executives claim to fully appreciate the value of marketing, but that even fewer marketers - 50% - believe this to be the case. Board-level marketing heads claim that just 16% of board discussions are about marketing, whereas chief executives believe marketing issues take up almost one-third of board time.

Tim Ambler, senior fellow in marketing at London Business School and a member of the steering committee for the Deloitte report, said there is ‘a frustrating complacency about what being "marketing-led" actually means'. He added: ‘Many chief executives have no real understanding of marketing, and they express theoretical enthusiasm, because that is what the City and investors want to hear, without thinking through the practical implications.'

To read the full report of the study, see tomorrow's edition of Marketing magazine. In the meantime, if you would you like to rate your company Deloitte has set up a free online questionnaire for marketers to assess how important marketing is within their company and compare it with other organisations. Visit www.deloitte.co.uk/marketing to benchmark your company.

(Source: Media)