Paul Morris

As some enterprise B2B organisations are considering a shift toward agile ways of working (e.g as i have posted about previously on the Spotify approach), the promise of speed, cross-functional collaboration and customer-centricity is understandably attractive. Squads, sprints and scrums are no longer confined to software development; they’re now showing up in some marketing departments > CX teams.

But is a deeper pivot toward agile squads always the right move?

The answer is nuanced. Agile can be a powerful force multiplier when deployed with intent. Yet, without discipline, it can erode marketing’s ability to deliver consistent brand and commercial outcomes e.g performance marketing “Brilliant BAU”.

Below is a balanced take on the pros and cons, as well as alternative approaches that smart organisations are using to blend agility with strategic focus.

The Case for Agile Squads in Marketing

1. Cross functional acceleration

Squads allow marketing, CX, performance & tech to co-create solutions; reducing handoffs, silos and project lag. When a performance marketer, data scientist, martech product owner and local marketer sit together, execution gets faster and sharper.

2. Faster feedback loops

Short sprints enable faster experimentation. Paid media, email journeys, landing page tests, CDP POC’s >  all benefit from the test and learn mindset at the core of agile. For mid > lower funnel or CX-led initiatives, it helps validate assumptions earlier.

3. Customer centricity through iteration

Agile encourages teams to build based on user insight, making room for continuous optimisation based on real behaviour rather than static briefs.

4. Empowered teams. Clearer accountability

Smaller, autonomous squads can feel more ownership and drive outcomes better than large fragmented matrix teams chasing competing KPIs.

The Pitfalls: Where Agile Can Undermine Marketing

1. Deprioritisation of BAU excellence

Brilliant BAU; the kind that drives consistent results day in, day out; often doesn’t fit into a 10-week sprint or agile ceremony. When squads dominate the resource model, foundational work (brand stewardship, always on SEO, ECRM automation flows, Performance Max targeting iteration, etc) risks underinvestment and opportunity cost “debt”

2. Misfit of CX frameworks in marketing contexts

Not all CX or agile product methodologies translate neatly to marketing. For instance, the concept of MVP (minimum viable product) can clash with brand governance, creative consistency in campaigns across markets or deployment of a new website (if core KPIs such as CR%, AOV, etc suffer thus impacting wider ROI/ ROAS).

3. Over indexing on output velocity

Squads sometimes celebrate speed over strategy (see my article on Time/ Cost/ Quality triangle). e.g. Increased deployment velocity of CRM campaigns mean little if targeting, message or segmentation is misaligned with OKRs.

4. Fragmented view of the customer journey

With each squad focused on a slice of the funnel or a channel, the risk is losing sight of the holistic customer experience. Some would argue against this (if you are focusing on a particular task such as degradation in online customers) however with long B2B paths to purchase and multiple stakeholders and complex touchpoints it can happen.

A Smarter Path Forward: Blending Agile with Strategic Control

To avoid these traps, progressive organisations are adopting hybrid operating models that preserve the strengths of both worlds.

1. Anchor squads to strategic outcomes, not just activity

Sometimes single channel squads still make sense e.g “SEO squad” or “Paid Media squad” however they must not exist in a silo. Orient teams around outcomes like “Improve visit to order conversion” or “Grow high clv b2b customers in X verticals” This ensures alignment to the overarching Mission > vision > Values > Strategy.

2. Protect BAU excellence with dedicated capacity

Maintain core teams focused on essential BAU activity; demand gen, CRM hygiene, localised campaigns, PLA/ PPC, Core tech SEO, etc outside of squads. This prevents erosion of what’s already working.

3. Use agile for transformation work, not day to day operations

Deploy squads primarily where transformation or innovation is needed; first-party data capture, omnichannel NBA, CDP stand up or MMM/DDA deployment. Don’t force agile on repeatable, well-oiled engines.

4. Build “agile ready” governance

Create clear prioritisation rituals across tribes/squads to avoid duplication or misalignment. Introduce stage gates for initiatives that touch brand, compliance or markets with varying maturity levels (e.g operating across EMEA would likely have local teams at differing levels if digital/ marketing maturity).