This post is part of my new series on Functional Subcultures, where we’ll explore how departments like Finance, Marketing, Sales, and others develop their own values, communication styles, and ways of making decisions.
Each department has its own priorities, jargon, and ways of thinking. Without awareness, misunderstandings tend to arise.
Last time, we explored Finance, who are often seen as the guardians of structure, accountability, and long-term sustainability. Today, we’re looking at Marketing—a function that thrives on creativity, speed, and customer connection. While their vision often energizes organizations, their methods can clash with more structured or data-heavy functions. Let’s take a closer look.
What Defines the Marketing Subculture
The Marketing subculture is driven by shaping external perception through compelling brand positioning, using creativity and storytelling to build influence across audiences and markets. It is typically visionary, customer-driven, and future-oriented. It values innovation, storytelling, emotional connection, and speed to market.
Marketers are often the voice of the customer inside the organization, translating market signals into brand positioning and strategy.
They thrive on trends, experimentation, and bold ideas. Collaboration and creative energy are central—but highly flexible and future-oriented, and this can come with less structure and a higher tolerance for ambiguity.
If we draw a parallel with the Intercultural approach I have used to compare country cultures before, the Marketing subculture clearly falls into the two categories:
- Low Uncertainty Avoidance: indicating the extent to which a culture feels threatened by uncertain or ambiguous situations and faces change – they often operate by embracing experimentation and rapid change as part of the creative process
- High individualism: emphasizing how Marketing members pursue independence and personal achievement and rights, prioritizing the needs of oneself and one’s immediate family or team
The Most Common Clashes with Marketing
Tensions often arise from different perceptions of value and risk. They may lean on instinct and customer insight, while others expect proof and process.
- Finance, which may view brand initiatives as costly or lacking measurable ROI – we could say that it is mostly data vs. gut-focused from Marketing
- Operations and Logistics, prioritize planning and predictability, while Marketing may make last-minute campaign adjustments. Ops (speed vs. feasibility)
- IT Professionals, who may struggle to meet ambitious timelines for launches or digital experiences
- Sales may pull away when alignment on messaging or target segments isn’t clear. As a classic, but still highly relevant, HBR article, “Why Sales and Marketing Don’t Get Along“ points out that the disconnect often stems from different time horizons, priorities, and definitions of success.
- Marketers think in terms of aggregate customer segments; sellers think in terms of individual customers
- Marketers design strategies; sellers implement tactics
- Marketers focus on analysis and process; sellers focus on relationships and results
Integrating and Adapting with the Culture
Integrating the Marketing subculture requires appreciating its role in shaping external perception and internal momentum.
They thrive when invited to strategy conversations early — especially when launching new products or entering new markets.
- Leaders can help by connecting brand initiatives to business outcomes, so their work is seen not just as creative but strategic
- Coaching can support Marketing professionals in communicating with data, while helping other functions embrace narrative and emotional intelligence as essential tools for influence. Refer to my post on the Finance Culture, which is a typical data communicator
- Don’t limit communication to one-on-ones; create cross-functional coherence where shared campaign KPIs, and co-owned timelines can reduce friction and strengthen collaboration
Here are some tips on Aligning with Marketing:
- In general, show how branding supports long-term value creation and cross-functional growth
- Sales and Marketing need to ensure teamwork and full participation of both areas in sales strategy formulation, lead generation, sales collateral development, pricing, and sales forecasting
- Finance and Marketing require recognizing that perception is part of performance. When their creativity is matched with clear business goals, Marketing becomes a powerful engine for growth
