In this issue:
- In Our Opinion: CMOs Shifting to Revenue Centers and Sales Generators
- NEW Executive Search:
- President, Retail-Outdoor Lifestyle Brands
- Event Highlight: 2014 Rising Star Awards Dinner
- Career Opportunities:
- President, Retail-Outdoor Lifestyle Brands – NEW
- Head of Global Corporate Communications – NEW
- Global Marketing Technology Strategist
- Global Head of Digital Marketing
- Global Head of Branding & Communications
In Our Opinion by Jeff Gundersen & Lola White
CMOs Shifting to Revenue Centers and Sales Generators
Fueled by the rapid shift to all things digital, the role of CMOs is rapidly shifting from a cost center mentality (i.e., spending corporate marketing budgets to build the corporate brand image through brand advertising and sponsorships) to a revenue center mindset focused on lead generation and closing sales in each of the company’s lines of business and distribution channels (online and offline).
In a recent study produced by Salesforce Exact Target Marketing Cloud and Deloitte Research, Lynn Vojvodich (Salesforce CMO) reported half of CMOs today feel responsible for revenue growth. “When a customer comes through a device or store, they want one consistent brand experience with you. As marketers, we need to be the stewards of customer journey and the new CMO is about owning customer experience,” commented Vojvodich.
Ms. Vojvodich spoke at the recent AdAge Digital conference and noted that 25% of CMOs surveyed had an increasing role in customer service within their organizations. This report also noted the top 3 internal marketing priorities of CMOs included data acquisition, testing and optimization, and flexible and agile marketing processes. Overall, the top 5 expanding expectations of CMOs include top line growth, owning customer experience, data analytics/insights, operating in real-time, and metrics to prove marketing ROI.
This Deloitte-Salesforce study clearly underscores the modern age CMO needs to be well-grounded in multi-channel customer acquisition, customer engagement and experience, retention/loyalty, and other aspects of CRM. With the majority of marketing and commerce moving toward mobile and digital channels, the modern age CMO must be digitally savvy, have strong direct marketing skills, and be comfortable leading technology and data analytics teams, in addition to traditional branding and communications functions.
Michelle Bottomley, Sr. Partner & Global Chief Marketing & Sales Officer at Mercer, is the embodiment of this new trend toward revenue building CMOs. Historically, B2B “sales cultures” in professional services firms like Mercer used Marketing only for tactical sales support. Michelle is transforming Marketing at Mercer and within the first 30 days onboard she was given the additional responsibility for Sales. Clearly, Mercer’s CEO Julio Portalatin sees her as a revenue driver.
The end-to-end responsibility for customer experience is indeed broadening the role and span of influence of CMOs. Are you prepared to handle this broader scope including being a revenue generator in your role as CMO? You need to become this if you are not there today…this is the way of the future of modern age marketing.
As always, we invite your views and comments.
Lola and Jeff
New Executive Search
President, Retail-Outdoor Lifestyle Brands
Executive Connections, LLC is happy to announce we have been awarded the exclusive assignment to recruit a President for a new start-up in Sarasota, Florida.
The new Retail – Outdoor Lifestyle Brands company is the brain child of a well-established and highly successful private (family-owned) company who is the nationwide leader and supplier of sod and turf grass products (including partnerships with Home Depot and Lowe’s).
We would appreciate if you could refer potential candidates or sources for this exciting start-up career opportunity. Here is the link for the President, Retail-Outdoor Lifestyle Brands job specification.
This ideal leader will be an entrepreneurial President or General Manager who has successfully built an Outdoor Lifestyle business supplying major retailers (i.e., similar to Home Depot and Lowe’s) and expanded the business by adding new product lines and brand extensions.
Please e-mail Jeff Gundersen with your availability for a call in the next week to discuss this exciting career opportunity and provide us your input.
Event Highlight
Please join us at this year’s 2014 Rising Stars Awards Dinner sponsored by MarketingEDGE to be held on Tuesday, June 3, 2014 at 583 Park Avenue, New York City. As a Board Trustee member of MarketingEDGE, Jeff Gundersen will be attending this event.
Career Opportunities
President, Retail-Outdoor Lifestyle Brands – NEW
Head of Global Corporate Communications – NEW
Global Marketing Technology Strategist
Global Head of Digital Marketing
Global Head of Branding & Communications
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