Someone on your team says it.
(Maybe you’ve said it yourself.)
“I’m not a marketer.”
And yet…
They’re working in a Marketing department.
They’re managing campaigns, making decisions, juggling budgets, holding deadlines.
So why do so many smart, capable leaders hesitate to claim the title?
What’s really happening here
This isn’t just about confidence. It’s about how people end up in Marketing in the first place.
Maybe they haven’t had formal training. They don’t have a marketing degree.
And unlike being a CPA or an engineer, there isn’t a standard entry point.
They got here because they’re diverse right-brain and left-brain thinkers.
Or because they were brilliant at project management and someone said, “Just handle the marketing” – without actually understanding what they were asking for.
And that matters. Because when your path into Marketing feels accidental, claiming “I am a Marketer” can feel risky.
Like you’re wearing a title you didn’t officially earn.
It probably doesn’t help that we joke with an eyeroll, “Everyone’s a Marketer.”
Like when your CFO is giving feedback on campaign headlines.
Or someone in Sales showed their nephew the creative and is sharing their random input with you.
When everyone feels entitled to weigh in, it’s harder to feel like the expert, even when you’re the one actually immersed in the work.
So what does it take to feel legit?
It starts with claiming the identity first. Then building the structure, influence, and credibility around it.
Why it matters for influence
Here’s the rub…
If we don’t claim our own expertise, no one else will.
Marketing cannot move from “service desk” to strategic growth driver if the people inside it hesitate to stand in the role. Because every time we soft-pedal our title, we reinforce the story other departments already believe – that Marketing executes. That Marketing’s value lies in activity and sheer output.
You’re not just protecting yourself when you reject the identity.
You’re unintentionally protecting the outdated perception of Marketing.
The shift starts with us
Owning “I am a Marketer” isn’t about ego. It’s about agency.
- It reframes Marketing from what we do to who we are.
- It signals to the business that we’re not just pushing campaigns; we’re driving growth.
- It builds credibility internally and externally.
When you lead from that identity, you create the permission structure for your team, your peers, and other departments to follow.
Where I come in
This is exactly where I help Marketing leaders reset.
In the Marketing Scale-Up Advisory, we build the structure beneath the identity shift:
- A clear growth plan that connects Marketing’s impact to business outcomes
- Decision frameworks that help you lead from the boardroom, not the inbox
- Support for you and your team so everyone steps into the professional function Marketing was meant to be
Because scaling isn’t just about systems and playbooks. It’s also about claiming the space you’re already in. And leading from it.
If we don’t stand up and claim our space as Marketers, we can’t expect anyone else to believe it either.