From Executive to Execution: Defining the Future of Marketing Ops

Marketing Operations (MOps) is no longer a back-office function. It’s not just about executing campaigns, generating reports, or making sure Salesforce and Marketo “talk” to each other. Today, MOps is the defining factor in whether a marketing team can scale and deliver meaningful customer connections. 

Yet, there’s a problem—most companies are stuck. 

Looking through the lens of Darrell Alfonso’s Marketing Ops Maturity Model, most companies alternate between the Basic and Managed stages of maturity, never quite breaking into Strategic or Foresight-driven operations. The disconnect? Strategy and execution operate in silos, leaving marketing leaders frustrated as bold visions fail to translate into reality.

Key takeaways:

To break through the MOps Maturity Gap, companies must: 

• Prioritise process over tools – Avoid the "shiny object syndrome" and focus on foundational operations.

• Align strategy with customer value – Move beyond vanity metrics to real business impact.

• Shift from execution to enablement – MOps should empower marketing, not just execute requests.

• Build operational foresight – Leverage AI, automation, and structured workflows to anticipate market changes.

• Establish accountability – Create clear frameworks that connect high-level strategy with tactical execution.

The Maturity Gap - why companies stall. 

The model that Alfonso presents (See below Marketing Ops Maturity Model) provides a clear path forward, showing how teams evolve from: 

1. Basic – Reactive, disorganised, and campaign-focused 
2. Managed – More structured, but still struggling with cross-functional alignment 
3. Strategic – Operations integrated into decision-making and business outcomes 
4. Foresight – AI-driven, predictive, and fully optimised for customer experience 

Image from Darrell Alfonso’s Marketing Ops Maturity Model.

In my experience, I believe that over two thirds of companies hover between the first 2 stages, with many never making it into the high performing stages. 

Having spent nearly two decades leading in-house marketing teams and advising organisations on their operational challenges, I’ve seen firsthand why companies get stuck. It’s not a lack of budget, talent, or tools. It’s culture, process gaps, and the inability to bridge executive strategy with execution. 

The two biggest barriers to success.

1. The Culture vs. Tools Fallacy

Many teams assume that better tools equal higher maturity. This is not the case. 

Companies spend millions on shiny new tech—Customer Data Platforms (CDPs), AI-powered automation, and predictive analytics—only to underutilise them. Without a shift in capabilities, process alignment, and cultural readiness, technology investments become expensive clutter. 

Real progress requires: 

• Prioritising process over platform – Fix the underlying workflows before adding more tools
• Building enablement over execution – Marketing Ops should empower, not just deliver
• Fostering a culture of alignment – Technology should serve a cross-functional strategy, not operate in isolation

2. The Vertical-Execution Gap

Marketing teams struggle to translate executive vision into scalable execution. 

Example: A CMO announces a customer-first strategy. But the campaign team is still optimising for MQLs and lead gen, creating a fundamental misalignment. KPIs, measurement frameworks, and tactical execution remain disconnected from the strategic intent. 

Without a bridge between vision and execution, organisations suffer from: 

• Quality-capped output – Teams constantly firefighting instead of innovating
• Underutilised tools – MarTech stacks that never reach their full potential
• Burnout-prone teams – Overworked employees delivering disjointed results
• Customer experience gaps – Strategies that fail to translate into meaningful engagement 

The Playbook for Breaking Through 

So how do you evolve from Basic to Strategic, and ultimately to Foresight-driven operations? 

Here’s the Marketing Ops Code—the five key shifts that separate high-performing teams from the rest.

1. Reframe Marketing Ops as a Strategic Function

MOps is not an execution-only role. It’s the operating system for marketing success. 

Action Step: Bring MOps into leadership conversations. Align marketing operations with CX, revenue strategy, and business impact—not just campaign delivery.

2. Design for Scalability and Adaptability

Teams that scale have documented, flexible processes—not just tribal knowledge. 

Action Step: Create adaptable workflows that balance structure with agility. Establish a Project Management Office (PMO) to ensure execution aligns with strategic goals.

3. Connect the Data Dots

Your MarTech stack shouldn’t be a collection of disconnected tools. It should be a cohesive system that drives insights and decision-making. 

Action Step: Audit your current data flows. Identify gaps in measurement, integration, and cross-functional collaboration. Eliminate redundant tools and unify data sources.

4. Build a Culture of Experimentation

High-performing teams test, iterate, and optimise continuously. They leverage AI not as a crutch but as an accelerator for efficiency and customer understanding. 

Action Step: Establish a test-and-learn initiative where 5-10% of your budget is dedicated to AI-driven experimentation. Focus on predictive analytics, real-time personalisation, and automation pilots.

5. Bridge Strategy to Execution with Clear Accountability

Aligning marketing strategy with execution requires a structured accountability framework. 

Action Step: Map executive objectives to day-to-day operations. Ensure every high-level strategy has a clear execution framework, with ownership, milestones, and success metrics. 

The Future Belongs to the Ops-Driven Marketer 

Marketing leaders today want to be able to scale output whilst still retaining a deep customer connection - but if we are honest about it, most teams are stuck in the execution weeds, and if a operational backbone is lacking then it falls apart in the day-to-day grind.

And for those who can crack the MOps code, they won’t just keep up—they’ll lead the pack in the coming years of change.

To summaries, here is what I believe will separates the best from the rest:

• Shift from execution to enablement – MOps isn’t just a support function; it should empower the entire marketing org to operate smarter, faster, and with real impact.
• Align strategy with customer value – Drop the vanity metrics. If your ops aren’t driving real customer impact, they’re just busywork.
• Build operational foresight – AI, automation, and streamlined frameworks aren’t future trends—they’re table stakes for scalable marketing.

If your team is ready to stop reacting and start leading, it’s time to bridge the gap From Executive to Execution. 

Where does your MOps team stand today?

If you’re stuck between Basic and Managed, now is the time to break the cycle. The companies that crack the Marketing Ops Code will not only reach Foresight-level operations—they will define the future of marketing.

Take the next step:

• Assess your MOps maturity – Identify where your team stands and pinpoint operational gaps.

• Pilot a small but impactful process improvement – Start with one initiative, like automation, data integration, or campaign execution.

• Start bridging the strategy to execution gap – Align your marketing objectives with operational excellence.

If you are ready to transform your Marketing Ops and unsure on how to start, then contact us for a strategy session to map out your MOps evolution.

Let’s turn your vision into execution—and execution into growth.