Why process is the neglected 7th P of marketing

And why we need to talk about it more

Process has never been the glamorous part of marketing. It doesn’t win awards, it doesn’t get celebrated at all‑hands meetings, and it rarely features in job descriptions. Yet anyone who has led a marketing function knows the truth: how work gets done often determines whether work gets done.

Across my career, I’ve seen teams thrive when they have clarity, shared expectations, and strong cross‑functional relationships. And I’ve seen teams struggle when processes are fragmented, undocumented, or simply inherited without question. Process is the quiet force that holds people, technology, and culture together — but it’s often overlooked.

Today, with AI reshaping how marketing teams operate and economic pressures demanding more efficiency, process is no longer a “nice to have.” It’s becoming the strategic lever that unlocks time, clarity, and confidence.

Why process gets neglected: A deep look at people, process, technology — and culture

Process doesn’t get neglected because marketers don’t care. It gets neglected because the system around them makes it almost impossible to prioritise.

People: Overloaded, reactive, and operating in the grey

Marketing teams are often running at full capacity. They’re juggling deadlines, shifting priorities, and constant context‑switching. In this environment, strategic thinking becomes a luxury. Teams rely on “tribal knowledge” — unwritten norms, assumptions, and workarounds, because stopping to document or redesign a process feels like slowing down when everything else is speeding up.

Process: Inherited, fragmented, and rarely challenged

Most marketing processes aren’t designed, they’re accumulated. A workflow created years ago becomes the default, even if the team, tools, and expectations have changed. Ownership becomes unclear. Steps get added without removing anything. And because process work is rarely rewarded, it slips down the priority list until something breaks.

Technology: A solution that often exposes the problem

Technology is frequently introduced as a fix, but without a clear process behind it, it becomes a sticking plaster. AI tools, automation platforms, and new systems are layered on top of workflows that were never designed to support them. Instead of creating efficiency, they create friction — because technology cannot compensate for a broken process.

Culture: The invisible force that shapes everything

Siloed working, fragmented thinking, and unclear expectations are often cultural issues, not operational ones. When culture doesn’t value shared ways of working, process becomes invisible. Teams optimise for their own priorities rather than collective outcomes. The result is duplication, misalignment, and frustration.

The space where people, process, technology and culture meet is where transformation happens. You can’t fix one without understanding the others. And you certainly can’t automate what you don’t understand.

The leadership role: Creating pathways, not just deliverables

Process is not an administrative task. It’s a leadership responsibility.

Throughout my career, I’ve spent significant time ensuring marketing is aligned with the wider organisation. One example stands out. When I worked for a national charity, I led a series of cross‑department away days to strengthen collaboration between marketing, digital, comms, design, and events. We reflected on what wasn’t working, built a shared vision and objectives, and refined processes together.

It wasn’t just about improving workflow. It was about creating cross‑team glue — shared language, shared expectations, and shared ownership. Multiple voices were heard and buy‑in became natural rather than forced.

Leaders create the pathways their teams need to be successful. When those pathways are clear, teams move faster, collaborate better, and feel more confident.

The AI moment: Why process matters more than ever

AI is accelerating expectations — but it’s also offering relief. Economic pressures demand efficiency, and AI gives us a way to achieve it without burnout. But only if teams redesign workflows intentionally.

AI-native marketing isn’t about tools. It’s about rethinking how workflows.

Top tip: Co‑design your workflow redesign

Don’t redesign processes in isolation. Bring your team with you. Co‑design creates ownership, reduces resistance, and builds confidence — especially during times of change.

In previous roles, we’ve documented our lead generation processes and created automated nurture journeys to cut manual work. This wasn’t done in a silo. It was shaped with the team, tested together, and refined based on real experience. The result? More consistency, less manual effort, and more space for strategic thinking.

AI frees up time only when processes are clear enough to show where automation fits.

Documenting processes: The foundation of team consistency

Documenting processes isn’t bureaucracy. It’s clarity.

It helps manage expectations, strengthens cross‑team relationships, and gives people confidence in how work flows. When I worked for a regional charity, documenting the design process and making sure it was understood across the organisation reduced bottlenecks, eased friction between teams, and gave our designer a clear understanding of priorities and expectations. It transformed how work flowed.

Documentation isn’t about rigidity. It’s about shared understanding and shared respect for the effort behind the work.

When you know your processes, you can automate them

Automation becomes possible only when you truly understand your workflow. Once processes are visible, opportunities emerge naturally. You start to see where human judgment is essential and where repetition is holding the team back. Manual email journeys evolve into automated sequences. Time‑specific website banners become scheduled rather than manually updated. Research workflows shift from ad‑hoc tasks to automated insight pipelines.

Clarity reveals opportunity. And opportunity reveals efficiency.

The human side of process: Consistency, psychological safety, and shared quality

Process is ultimately about people.

Consistency isn’t restrictive. It’s freeing. Clear processes reduce anxiety, uncertainty, and second‑guessing. Psychological safety grows when people know what good looks like, how decisions are made, and where they fit in the workflow.

Shared processes create shared language, shared expectations, and shared ownership. Teams become more resilient, more aligned, and more confident. Quality improves because everyone understands the standard.

Consistency takes work, mutual understanding, and shared commitment, but the payoff is enormous.

Process as the strategic lever for the next era of marketing

Process is the neglected 7th P of marketing, but it’s becoming one of the most important.

AI gives marketing leaders a once‑in‑a‑generation opportunity to redesign how work happens. Economic pressures demand efficiency, but process gives us a way to achieve it without sacrificing creativity or wellbeing.

When leaders invest in process, teams gain time, clarity, and the ability to think strategically again. They collaborate better, automate more intelligently, and deliver higher‑quality work with less friction.

The future of marketing belongs to teams who build systems, not just outputs. And process is how we get there.