The Marketer POV: Themes from our conversations with CMOs

Recruiting for CMOs and senior marketers has always been one of our biggest practice areas at Rich Talent Group. Especially this past quarter, we have seen the largest proportion of our searches coming from that function. We have spent some time speaking with our CMO clients and candidates about what challenges they are currently facing in their work and what predictions they have for the future. Here are some of the themes we captured:

Agility and adaptability are key

While marketing leaders once had the grace of a few months to create the perfect campaign, they must now work much more quickly to keep up with the increased speed of business, or even to set the pace. To do this, they are implementing rapid prototyping, learning while doing, and embracing entirely new ways of working.?

Marriage of marketing and communications

Several years ago, CMOs might have said that they dedicated a small fraction of their time to internal and external communications surrounding socioeconomic and political issues. In the last few years, it has grown tremendously, with 40-50% of time spent crafting comprehensive and authentic responses to current public affairs. This introduces a high-stakes balancing act between emotional fatigue and tactical communication that requires perseverance even from the most seasoned marketers.?

Engaging talent during tumultuous times

In the post-pandemic world, employees and companies alike are making decisions with heart. The delicate dance of acquiring necessary talent in the wake of layoffs and restructuring requires mindful messaging that acknowledges the experience of current employees and motivates a renewed sense of focus across talent at every level.?

It is cool to be a mathlete

At worst, marketing can be perceived as a discretionary dollar; at its best, an essential driver of growth. That’s why it’s so important that executive leaders, especially the CEO and CFO, can see the direct impact marketing has on the health of the brand and business. CMOs (and their teams!) must embrace, interpret, and utilize relevant data around the impact of both performance and brand marketing. Understanding what the numbers tell you will exponentially expand your ability to communicate your value and will be an increasingly important skill for marketing teams going forward.

Balancing act: Performance and Brand

Today, marketers wrestle with the tension of prioritizing long-term brand equity when short-term performance marketing might feel more urgent. Ultimately, the best marketing must do both. Investing in your brand over time will create a strong foundation so that you can weather turbulent times and maintain customers even if you have to cut spending. The magic happens when you can balance the two and, as some have pointed out, bring?brand and performance together under one leader who can understand and account for both.

AI is an accelerant, not a replacement

Still in early stages, leaders are exploring how to thoughtfully put AI to work in marketing without eclipsing the need for human contribution. Whether it is drafting copy for social media or generating imagery, AI enables marketers to outsource certain tedious tasks while supercharging others, providing the luxury of time to get creative with the big picture.?

Opportunity to expand impact

As the market recalibrates, and companies seek to understand the new post-pandemic consumer, marketers have a unique advantage to understand and represent the voice of the customer within an organization. Marketers can leverage this insight for the entirety of the customer experience — not just within marketing — to increase their influence and impact across the business.

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