Want to Succeed? Be Like Jay-Z
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Most attempts to explain what is changing in the CMO’s role sound like the fabled blind men describing the elephant: “Big Data!” “Social Media!” “Digitization!” “Analytics!” Each grasps only a part of what is changing, when what CMOs really need is a clear picture of the beast itself.
We believe the CMO is transforming into a chief engagement officer who will operate more like Jay-Z than J. Walter Thompson–seemingly everywhere at once. Boldly projecting brand. Knowing no boundaries. Constantly connecting.
The contrasts between what marketing leadership has long been and what it is rapidly becoming are stark. The traditional CMO role was forged in an age when marketing was almost stately, with distinct steps unfolding in predictable sequence. That’s not to suggest, of course, that the field has been static. New ways of thinking and innovative tools of the trade have always emerged along the way. Twenty years ago, category management was a game changer. Ten years ago, we could retrospectively comb through mountains of data to pinpoint minute shifts in a key demographic’s brand preference and purchase intent. (But let’s be honest, we’re still figuring out how to actually use all that data.)
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