The Challenge
This Stockholm-based B2B SaaS company had a classic CMO problem: the board wanted proof that marketing was generating pipeline, not just leads. The marketing team was running campaigns across Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads, and organic content - but their reporting was limited to platform-native metrics like clicks, impressions, and cost-per-lead.
When the CMO presented quarterly results, the CFO consistently pushed back: "These are marketing metrics, not business metrics. Show me how this connects to revenue." The team had tried building attribution models in spreadsheets, but the data was fragmented across their CRM, GA4, and ad platforms with no reliable way to connect the dots. Learn more about proving marketing value to leadership.
With a budget review coming up, the CMO needed a way to definitively prove marketing's impact on pipeline and revenue - or risk a significant budget cut.
The Solution
The team connected Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads, GA4, and Microsoft Clarity to Xplainr. Within days, they had a unified view of the full funnel - from first touch through to closed-won deals.
- Multi-Touch Attribution: Xplainr's cross-channel attribution showed exactly which campaigns and channels contributed to pipeline at each stage, using data-driven models instead of last-click guessing.
- Board-Ready Reports: Automated monthly reports with revenue-centric metrics: cost per opportunity, marketing-sourced pipeline, and blended CAC - all formatted for executive consumption. See our guide on CMO reporting.
- AI Insights: Aria surfaced that LinkedIn Ads, which had the highest CPL, actually had the best lead-to-opportunity conversion rate - a counterintuitive finding that changed their budget allocation strategy.
The Impact
Armed with Xplainr's attribution data, the CMO presented a clear picture of marketing's 2.8x pipeline multiplier to the board. The CFO could see exactly how each marketing dollar converted to pipeline value - a textbook example of proving ROI to the CFO. The result: a 40% budget increase approved in a single board meeting.
The team shifted 20% of their Google Ads budget to LinkedIn based on Aria's conversion rate insight, which improved overall pipeline quality by 35%. Monthly board reporting now takes 30 minutes instead of a full day.