Marketing teams in 2026 face unprecedented complexity. Technology moves faster than ever, data points multiply, and pressure to demonstrate ROI intensifies. Many marketers feel perpetually behind, watching competitors race ahead. In this episode of Data Driven Voices, host Emma Storbacka sits down with Robin Lejonhuvud, independent advisor on growth, marketing, and commercial transformation, formerly leading customer strategy at H&M to discuss how operating systems bring structure to chaos. Not blueprints. Not org charts. But systematic ways of working that create clarity, alignment, and breathing room for innovation.
In this blog, we summarize some of the key takeaways from the episode.
Marketing in 2026 feels chaotic because it is
Robin opens with a message every marketer needs to hear:
“I understand because it’s never moved so fast and technology is moving fast. I just want to give everybody out there a kind of feeling of relief. You’re not alone. Everybody feels exactly the same way, even the ones that you think are doing great.”
The chaos is real. Content proliferates, data points multiply, pace accelerates. Organizations feel constantly one step behind. Robin’s advice: cut through noise by focusing on basics. Prioritize. Build on fundamentals rather than chasing every trend. One lesson worth studying: how Chinese companies like Temu operate. Not their ethics, but their operating models. They test without fear, move fast without dwelling on failures, and iterate relentlessly on what works.
What an operating system actually is (and isn’t)
“It’s not a tool. It’s not something you can buy off the shelf. It’s a way of working that drives your organization systematically so everybody understands: What should I do when I get to work? How does that contribute to my individual development? And how does that contribute to the overall goals of the company?”
An operating system creates alignment. Everyone understands their role and contribution. Without this, organizations fall into silos. Teams optimize for department metrics that look impressive in isolation but don’t add up to company growth.
The telltale sign: metric distrust. Marketing reports increased website traffic while e-commerce complains about traffic quality. Finance notes the company still isn’t profitable. Teams spend enormous time debating who’s right rather than solving problems. When departments celebrate the same goal with different definitions, totality never comes together.
The 50% alignment principle
Robin introduces a counterintuitive insight: you can’t be aligned on everything. If you agree on 50%, you’re in a strong place.
“You have a common KPI framework. And that obviously can have sub-KPIs that are really important for different departments. But at the top of the tree, you’re all aligned on what those metrics mean, what you’re trying to achieve, how they fit together, and what data sources are actually feeding into them.”
The hard part isn’t setting metrics. It’s defining what they mean and getting everyone to agree. Take “profitable customer.” Does customer mean identified, unidentified, or both? What does profitability include? Marketing adds media costs. E-commerce looks at margins and returns. Finance factors in logistics and total business costs.
For alignment, you need three elements: clear definitions everyone accepts, clear ownership where one person ensures data quality, and clean data feeding the metrics. The other 50% is freedom for departments to dive deeper into metrics relevant to their work.
90-day sprints over perfect blueprints
Organizations waste energy searching for the perfect blueprint. Robin argues there isn’t one:
“There is no perfect way of organizing yourself. What’s most important is that you have the right talent in the right place that understands what they should do to contribute to the totality.”
Structure matters more than blueprints. Work in 90-day sprints. Plan for the year, but break it into quarterly goals. Within each quarter, identify three things (maximum five) that you must accomplish. Everything else goes on a list for future evaluation.
This forces brutal prioritization. For metrics that take longer to move, like brand equity, find leading indicators. Share of search, engagement metrics, brand tracking. Calculate realistic targets mathematically. When goals aren’t mathematically possible, organizations revert to short-term performance metrics, recreating silos. Reserve budget for test and learn. Not everything locks into the annual plan. You need resources to experiment and integrate what works.
Making the unsexy work happen
The pattern is clear: important work isn’t sexy. Defining metrics. Documenting definitions. Ensuring data quality. Building KPI frameworks.
“Structure is not the most sexiest thing we talk about. It’s not something that you put on your LinkedIn. I’m a very structured person. But structure is kind of key moving forward because you need to work in a structured way to ensure that you’re able to have the time to be able to achieve everything you need to achieve within a day.”
Organizations avoid this work because it feels slow. Teams want action and results. But skipping foundational work means constant firefighting and metric debates. Taking time upfront to build the operating system creates breathing room later. Teams gain clarity. Leaders stop putting out fires.
Robin’s final advice: choose three things to achieve in 90 days. Work toward them systematically. Capture other ideas on a list. Go deep on a few topics rather than shallow on many. Within six months of consistent focus, organizations can achieve significant cultural change.
Key takeaways for marketing leaders
Robin’s experience reveals what works when building systematic, data-driven marketing operations:
- The chaos is universal: Every marketer feels behind. Acknowledging this is the first step toward addressing it systematically.
- Operating systems are ways of working: You cannot buy an operating system. It’s how everyone knows what to do when they get to work.
- 50% alignment is the target: Common ground on top-level KPI frameworks with clear definitions, ownership, and data sources.
- Three goals per quarter: Ruthless prioritization around maximum three critical initiatives. Everything else goes on the list.
- Calculate metrics mathematically: Stretch goals that aren’t possible cause teams to revert to short-term metrics.
- Do the unsexy work: Defining metrics and ensuring data quality creates breathing room for strategic innovation.
- Six months to cultural change: Consistent focus on operating system fundamentals can transform organizations in half a year.
Inspiration for marketing, sales, and data professionals
Data Driven Voices is a podcast where Avaus together with industry experts, thought leaders, and partners discuss how to harness data, technology, and strategy to drive meaningful change and business results in primarily marketing and sales. The podcast shares actionable insights, success stories, and thought-provoking challenges to help professionals with new perspectives.