CMO+CHRO=Powerful Partnership

In today's highly competitive business environment, it is critical as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) that my Marketing team develop plans to leverage employees as brand champions and company advocates to the world. In the same way that our Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO) needs to leverage the corporate business and brand strategy to wage and win the massive war for talent.

?Two leaders creating experiences for people

We both have a major opportunity to support strategic business goals by fusing our areas of expertise for the benefit of the broader leadership team and company. Essentially, we are two leaders in charge of people’s experiences. As CMO those people are customers and prospects while the CHRO focuses on employees and candidates. Experience is an important driver in our digital economy, one that challenges both of us and requires a consistent and joint approach.

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A recent Gartner report suggests that 47% of CHROs are focused on enhancing the employee experience to improve their ability to attract and retain talent. While Salesforce reported in their seventh annual State of Marketing Report that 80% of CMOs are in charge of CX initiatives across the enterprise. Clearly experience is a priority to attract and retain both employees and customers.

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The C-suite handshake

When I joined Ricoh in 2021, it was a time of massive change. New leadership, new business strategy, remote work due to COVID, the great resignation and let’s not forget the fast follow with quiet quitting. Change has a way of making companies focus on innovation externally which impacts culture internally and makes recruitment even more critical.? I knew immediately that it wasn’t just about marketing. It was about true transformation which takes great partnerships to achieve.

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I found a willing partner in our CHRO. When two C-suite executives come together “C” begins to stand for collaboration and cooperation. Siloed thinking, where HR is only concerned with the employer brand and Marketing only on the corporate brand is more than counterproductive, it’s dangerous. It needs to be a handshake. Brand guides culture. Culture in turn strengthens brand.

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We knew that we were both in charge of valuable strategic assets - employees and the brand. Joining forces and leveraging them both would mean a powerful win-win.

Connecting business transformation to culture and engagement

?Ricoh’s North American business transformation strategy impacts current and future customers and employees. It marks a significant shift to a digital focus where we are investing in high-touch, strategic efforts with our customers and moving away from commodity product solutions or services. One of the four key transformation themes, Culture of Excellence, identifies seven key attributes critical to the transformation. These attributes are described as the lifeblood of the aspirational mindset needed for growth and a sustainable future. Understanding, embodying and communicating this culture internally and externally was key to a successful transformation to a more innovative, more customer-centric company.

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From a Marketing and HR perspective, we knew that including these characteristics in the refreshed North American brand and campaign messaging was not enough. Much like the development of messaging to turn prospects into customers and retain them, we needed the same to turn candidates into employees and retain and grow that talent. We knew that the key to a Culture of Excellence was our people and the experience they have working at Ricoh. Joining forces, we developed an employee and recruiting platform - Culture of Excellence, Powered by You. This employer brand is an investment in our existing team and the new talent we are recruiting. It puts the emphasis on “YOU” in the hiring process, onboarding and career development.

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The excellence attributes that are critical to our business transformation and included in the corporate brand strategy - Innovative & Future-Focused, Data-Driven, Energetic, Accountable, Service-Oriented, Open-Minded & Authentic and Adaptable – are all part of the employer brand. Alignment between all three is the only way to achieve maximum growth and sustainability.

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To help Ricoh meet these goals, Marketing brought expertise in positioning, communications, digital experience and ensured consistency with the brand and HR provided their deep knowledge to help inform and develop employee and recruiting messaging and define metrics for success.

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Launched in 2022, the campaign created a seamless experience from recruiting and application to onboarding and retention. A Culture of Excellence. Powered by You describes how a new type of Ricoh team member, operating in an empowered and agile culture of excellence transforms Ricoh for customers, industries and ultimately the world at large. It pushed beyond surface employee satisfaction or appreciation programs to place the employee—and all future team members—at the core of business transformation and helping them see the potential to drive innovation and customer-centricity.

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It is also a key part of any acquisition integration plan to ensure understanding, engagement and success. There is no longer a need to introduce these new team members with a different onboarding or retention program.

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And, if two C-suite executives weren’t enough, we engaged our CEO to launch and champion the program in a company-wide global town hall meeting. He brought energy and excitement and explained how critical the Culture of Excellence and employees are to our success in the market.

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The measurable value of a great partnership

As Peter Drucker famously said, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” Well, we certainly DID measure the impact of joining forces and the outcomes are proof positive that cross-functional initiatives between CMO and CHRO have the potential to drive phenomenal results.?

How it impacted candidates and employees in 2022:

·?????? Almost 100% of applicants accepted offers of employment

·?????? Employee engagement scores increased almost a full point on an exponential scale in 2022

·?????? Confidence in the future rose by double digits

·?????? Steady improvement/growth in areas of Teamwork and Growth can be tied to the 7 key attributes of the employer platform.

·?????? Regarding fostering collaboration, understanding brand value and work culture positivity, the employee survey specifically stated improvements related to cross-team and leadership trust, belief in the vision and an understanding of the future.

·?????? Viewership of employer-branded content increased intranet engagement 80% and increased email newsletter readership by 150%

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Engaged employees bolster corporate brands, increase customer satisfaction and accelerate revenue. We know because in 2022 we saw CSAT scores rise 13 points and along with that came the highest operating revenue in the region.

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1+1 really does equal 3

From an employee engagement perspective, aligning brand and employee diminishes internal friction, because everyone can now act with shared purpose. From a marketing perspective, aligning brand and employee helps to create what can be described as the "multiplier effect," or one plus one equals three. Your employees become the best advocates to the world and your customers feel that.

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That multiplier effect certainly applies to the CMO and CHRO partnership, joining forces delivered results to the level we may have never seen working separately.