What Kotler observed, ANA/Booz Allan Hamilton elaborated on, has been proven in recent research: Marketing is becoming irrelevant.

"A few years ago marketing was mostly a line position," argues Peter Verhoef, professor of Customer Based Marketing. "Now that is the case at only 19% of the companies. (...) They particularly support the Sales department."

“Two, maybe three of their four key tasks slip through the marketers’ fingers,” says Verhoef referring to the four P's of Kotler. Departments like Sales, R&D and Finance take a lot of the marketing decisions.

"The Sales department is often responsible for making decisions concerning prices, distribution and tapping new foreign markets. R&D focuses on product development and Finance makes decisions about the website and relationship marketing." A seat at the board room table is far, far away, vanishing at the horizon.

   The cause? The lack of demonstrable results of marketing activities.

   The solution? Measure marketing efforts, from ROMI to shareholder value.

According to research, "executives at firms that measure marketing are more satisfied with marketing. 64% of measuring companies are very satisfied with their marketing, while only about 30% are similarly satisfied at non-measuring firms."