The Lurking Brand Threats Facing CMOs
In this opinion piece, Zerto CMO Gil Levonai tackles the pace of change in advertising and the industry’s need for adaption and evolution.
As 2018 gets underway, growth continues to be the key focus for many CMOs.
The pace of change is forever increasing, so there is more pressure than ever before, to adapt and evolve, to drive further business growth.
To achieve this, there are several brand threats that CMOs can’t ignore – from innovation, and ever-changing trends, to technology challenges – in this day and age, the CMO must wear many hats.
Failure to evolve and stay resilient
This is especially the case for companies in the technology space, where change is rapid and far-reaching.
Brands need to continually reflect on their position and ask themselves “Who are we?” and “What are we doing in the world?” in order to fine-tune and really stand out in an undoubtedly noisy marketplace.
With this, comes the need to be resilient in the face of adversity.
In today’s climate, threats are everywhere; however, it is the inability to recognise and address these threats that greatly inhibits companies, rather than the original threats themselves.
The impact of high profile outages and ‘down time’
Outages from Australian organisations across the financial, government, travel and telecommunications sectors seem to be occurring on a weekly basis often caused by hardware failures, software upgrades, human error and ransomware attacks – causing major service interruption.
The impact of these outages brings to light the stark reality that as cloud continues to evolve, there are serious challenges to its true resiliency to withstand unforced errors.
From reputational damage to lost revenue, lost productivity or other measures – one thing is for certain, no business can afford an outage in today’s ultra-competitive business environment.
Downtime can have disastrous implications for a business, both financially and reputationally.
An IT outage and subsequent downtime can lead to a substantial drop in brand trust and loyalty.
We live in a digital economy that expects and demands 24/7 ‘always on’ service and when this isn’t available, organisations don’t get off lightly.
We’ve also seen how quickly customers take to social media to vent their frustration when an outage occurs – causing massive backlash for a brand. A disaster recovery (DR) strategy has never been so important.
Failure to improve marketing agility and innovation with the cloud
The new digital economy has meant an acceleration in marketing technology.
Almost all of it is cloud based, enabling very fast and agile adoption of new processes, metrics and automation at a pace that was never thought possible before.
In particular, the rise of cloud computing has resulted in an avalanche of innovative products that cover just about every conceivable marketing discipline.
Cloud is the ultimate enabler for the new wave of marketing solutions – allowing us to push the boundaries, solve problems quicker, and bring together customised campaigns that clearly measure results.
Cloud technology allows greater agility and innovation, and if you’re not already taking advantage, then you’re behind the eight ball.
Ever changing landscape
These days CMOs need to strike a balance between being a scientist and a brand strategist. Data driven marketing is the new normal, and CMOs needs to be analytical and be able to go from the 30 thousand foot view all the way down to the details, in order to evaluate ever changing investments and channels.
But at the same time, brand is becoming more and more important to success, requiring CMOs to have the necessary skills to understand their customers’ viewpoint and the creativity and strategic thinking to make a brand stand out in todays noisy world.
For Zerto, APAC is a challenging region due to its huge diversity and sheer size. Every country is a micro cosmos by itself, requiring constant strategy tweaking and campaign adaptations.
The only way to address this is by having a strong local team that is skilled in all marketing disciplines, becoming a ‘mini department’ for the region.
Flexibility and agility is also key in a company of this size. When implementing a new marketing strategy, you need to allow your team the flexibility to localise the interpretation for both an internal and external audience. Let it live out slightly differently where culturally it makes sense to do so.
We are living in an era where being resilient is the key to the survival. To do this a CMO needs to plan ahead but be open minded for change across all departments of an organisation.
Please login with linkedin to comment
CMOLatest News
Revium Snags Peter Bauld From Deloitte Digital
Revium, a leading full-service digital and AI consultancy, has announced the appointment of Peter Bauld (lead image) as Executive General Manager. Revium is a full-service digital and AI consultancy with over 20 years of experience creating engaging digital experiences for leading organisations and their customers. Bauld joins Revium after an illustrious career spanning over two […]
EMG/Gravity Media Names New Managing Director
The makers of Australia's Got Talent has been a magnet for senior hires in recent times.
Opinion: Shark Tank’s Sabri Suby Slams Politicians Jumping On TikTok Ban Bandwagon
Are politicians actually scaremongering about TikTok or just fed up of you doom-scrolling in the work bogs?
TV Ratings: “Ivana Was Robbed” – Final Three Contestants Revealed On Australian Idol
B&T's unsure if these Idol contestants look extra young or whether we are as old as we feel.
Veridooh Snatches Prashand Menon From ScentreGroup
Out-of-home OOH) and digital media leader Prashand Menon (lead image) has joined OOH ad tech company Veridooh as group business director within NSW and QLD. Menon joins Veridooh from his most recent role as ScentreGroup’s group business director and brings with him more than 10 years of experience in Australian media. Previously, he held positions […]
Creative Content Studio OK COOL Answers APAC’s Call, Opening In Melbourne
Life set to get extra confusing for new agency staffers mistaking OK COOL for a pass-ag housemate text message.
Harry’s Cafe de Wheels & Hipages Launch New Pie To Fuel Tradies While On The Tools
The pies should apparently be better for tradies' health, apparently but won't be better for on-site ribbing.
Women Leading Tech’s Woman Of The Year Megan Dalla-Camina: What’s The True Cost Of Cutting DEI Spending?
Cutting DE&I spending might seem easy but you might change your mind when faced with Dalla-Camina's ire.
Thrive Introduces A Batch Of New Senior Leadership Roles
You could say that Thrive is set to thrive with these new hires. But that would be too obvious.
It’s Coming Home! Sponsors Make Subbuteo World Cup Finals Free
No idea what Subbuteo is? You clearly had a more exciting childhood than our editorial team.
Media Bigwigs Bet On Predictive Intelligence Platform Prophet In $5M Seed Funding
Prophet, profit, geddit? Must be laugh-a-minute in this startup's office.
CommsDeclare Brands Shell Energy An “Olympic Gaslighter” & Urges Agencies Not To Pitch For Creative Account
And we thought the gaslight Olympics took place in the Coogee Bay Hotel smoking area!
AFL Wins Battle With Warner Bros. As New AFL Team Is Revealed
There hasn't been this much wrangling over a cartoon animal since, well, ever!
BBC Podcasts Go Global With Amazon Music
Ironically, BBC podcasts unlikely to be available in the Amazon given the lack of signal.
Johnson & Johnson’s Former Consumer Healthcare Arm Reviews Creative
J&J inspired by Scottish term for knowledge 'ken' in its rebrand; nothing says 'wise' like a shot of Listerine.
Kat & Co Transforms Into THE WORLD OF Experiential Agency
After more than twelve years of producing experiences for some of the world’s most innovative brands, including Hermes, Van Cleef & Arpels, Louis Vuitton, and Tiffany & Co, Kat & Co has quietly metamorphosed into THE WORLD OF. THE WORLD OF is an experiential agency at the juncture of culture, technology and the human condition. […]
Adobe Brings Firefly Generative AI Into Substance 3D Workflows
Still unclear of what generative AI actually is? Steer clear of this story.
Clemenger BBDO Introduces Saucy Campaign With Declan Cleary & Lee Kum Kee
When we heard this was a saucy campaign, we thought it be the barbecue and ketchup showdown we'd been waiting for.
Gawk Acquires 40 Billboard Locations From Transad
Gawk makes it move out of VIC into NSW with acquisition. Has promised to stop going on about Melbourne nightlife.
All About Attribution: Commission Factory Releases New eBook
Ever wanted to dive deep into channel attribution? Consider this the perfect springboard.
SMG Studio Launches Risk: Global Domination X Dune Part Two
Through a licensing agreement with Legendary Entertainment, SMG Studio inked the rights to adapt Dune: Part Two into a game based on Risk: Global Domination, Hasbro’s interactive board game. Inspired by Denis Villeneuve’s cinematic masterpiece, Dune: Part Two, this new digital adaptation, RISK: Global Domination X Dune: Part Two, is poised to captivate players from […]
RMIT Study Reveals That 73% Of Employees Don’t Believe Gen AI Is Relevant
Noticing staff switching off when you tell them about gen AI? Understand why here.
Australian Eggs Launches Egg-citing New Campaign Via Connecting Plots
How do you like your eggs in the morning? We usually skip them and go straight for the darts and whisky.
Future Lions 2024 Invites Young People To Be Heard With Spotify
Future Lions, of course, is the AKQA-backed student initiative at Cannes Lions, not a feeder for the rugby team.
QMS: Taylor Swift, Lunar New Year & Mardi Gras Were Boon For OOH Market
Taylor Swift, Lunar New Year and the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival have had a dramatic impact on the number of people moving in and around Sydney over the past month, drawing big crowds into the heart of the city and its surrounding suburbs. New data from digital outdoor company QMS reveals a […]
Legend John McEnroe Joins Pepperstone’s Team Of Global Tennis Ambassadors
Despite the deal, McEnroe remains confused about difference between above- and below-the-line marketing.
LinkedIn Launches New Thought Leader Ads For Companies To Promote Member Posts
Though LinkedIn couldn't get any more insufferable? You thought wrong.
Latrell Mitchell Smacked On Wrist After Dropping Multiple F-Bombs In Post-Match Triple M Interview
Andrew Abdo has confirmed he is not angry... just disappointed.
TV Ratings: “When You Do Love Yourself, You’re Amazing” – Is This MAFS Most Heart-breaking Split?
Hold the press. MAFS groom and bride actually shown to be nice people.
Opinion: The Only Drag Marketers Should Be Worried About
Thought Transactional Drag was a lifeless club night in Newtown? Read this and you'll think again.
AWARD School Welcomes Class Of 2024
It's best to think of AWARD School like Survivor but with pitch decks instead of swimwear.
Interest In Motorsports Reaches New Heights As Formula 1 Grand Prix Revenue Expected To Surpass $100 Million
Need to get a dull sports client some quick results? Rustle up a Netflix series and watch the dollars roll in.
Chair Rob Murray To Depart As SCA Considers ARN’s Latest Takeover Bid
Struggling to make heads or tails of the SCA & ARN saga? Add this to your woes.
Adland Legend John Singleton Separates From Seventh Wife
Singo calls it quits with seventh wife as his race with Rupert Murdoch to become the most-married man continues.
ACCC Eyes Search Competition, Citing ‘Decreasing’ Quality & Rise In Generative AI
The only decline in search quality we notice is when B&T doesn't appear at the top of Google.
“Imagine A Career Above The Clouds”: Royal Australian Air Force Launches New Campaign Via VML
Don't worry about the forthcoming war with China - at least you'll get a bird's-eye view of the apocalypse.