Why marketing leadership matters more than ever
In the age of AI and shrinking marketing budgets and teams, marketing leadership matters more than ever. The fractional CMO provides a solution for small, medium and large companies alike — providing the leadership needed to take best advantage of today’s resources.
Getting conferences right: 7 lessons for sponsors
How can marketers make the most of conference sponsorships? Sometimes the simplest steps can make a world of difference — for driving ROI and a great event presence.
How AI is transforming consumer insights
AI is reinventing consumer insights — and the industry is adapting (or resisting) in a variety of ways. A recent visit to the IIEX conference in Washington, D.C., offered a window onto this high-stakes transition.
Marketing leadership is not a deliverable
The fact that a firm is coordinating all of your marketing tasks does not mean they can or should act as your marketing leader. Strategic marketing leadership—true CMO-level thinking—is about owning the intersection of customer insight, company strategy, and market opportunity.
When CMOs fail to own their strategic leadership roles, everyone suffers
CMOs need to own their authority – and insist on having others respect it – because the alternative represents a huge loss for the company and the Marketing team.
Every truly great performer is also a team player
When you work in teams, you learn certain things about how they operate, and how they affect the productivity and intelligence of you as an individual. There are definitely smart and not-so-smart ways to approach teamwork — here are a few suggestions from my experience.
Tapping into the power of story
What does it take to turn the ordinary deck or white paper or webinar into something extra-ordinary? Storytelling is the key — but how do you grasp the magic and make this a practical part of your work?
If you are mass producing “thought leadership,” you are missing the point
Thought leadership should show the innovation and expertise that your company brings to every project, with a strong authorial voice and point of view. Anything less is selling yourself, and your firm, short.
Defining the ingredients of a healthy brand
At the core of all your marketing efforts is your brand. But the word brand is kicked around quite a bit these days, to the point where it may seem that everything you see, read about, and buy is a brand. This is definitely not the case – and failing to understand what brands really are can lead you to make mistakes with your own marketing and IP.
The thinker & the doer
To be a marketing leader — fractional or on-staff — in today’s environment, it is not enough to say “I just do strategy.” Because teams are thin and budgets tight, marketing heads also need to be able to switch gears, roll up their sleeves, and get stuff done -- content creation, survey creation, podcast management, and more.