Tom,
The Marshal title was added to messages sent beyond the army specifically so that people didn't have to wonder who this weirdo was who kept talking about military matters, just because they weren't in his army. Also so that they could know who to talk to to find out more about a particular army.
I think this change is a step backwards, especially in terms of newbie-friendliness. And it gains us nothing meaningful: it's slightly more realistic, but that's about it.
If you want to make a change to how titles are handled, Tom, then make titles in battle reports appear horizontal instead of vertical again. That would be really helpful.