Doesn’t everyone want to know what makes a great marketer? Is it creativity, people skills, communication, vision?
Well here at B&T, we put that very big question to a slew of different CMOs and got some very different answers, and yes, they all appeared in our CMO power list.
KFC’s CMO, Kristi Woolrych, explained to us that it’s a helluva lot more than just problem-solving. Woolrych said: “A great – not merely good – marketer not only solves problems but uncovers new opportunities and creates the future!”
“[Great marketers] are curious, intuitive and think holistically about what’s going on, which allows them to draw out insights that others might miss.”
However, if you ask Arnott’s group’s CMO, Jenni Dill, she believes a great marketer needs to have a vision, “Great marketers need great vision and strategy, an innate consumer understanding, excellent execution skills, phenomenal influencing and the ability to deliver results and accountability.”
Meanwhile, Woolworth’s Andrew Hicks believes great marketing is, “creative thinking, problem-solving, empathy, an ability to look at problems through a different lens and then deliver often unusual and remarkable solutions.”
And then you have, Cole’s CMO Lisa Ronson who believes truly great marketing involves bravery, “Great marketers need to have a great understanding of the customer and continually being curious about the information you are getting. You need to get underneath what’s driving that brand.
“But for me, it’s also about creativity, innovation and bravery and working very closely with great partners and people you trust.”
Alternatively, Reckitt’s CMO, Saurabh Jain believes great marketing is about being in tune with consumers, “The ability to keep consumers at the heart of all decision and actions is the key. Being able to start from consumer and work backward to finding a solution.”
Perhaps the real answer is that all sorts of things make a great marketer depending on how the individual works.
Still, it’s exciting to get insights on what works for some of our top marketers. Though it does seem to enforce that old saying everyone works differently!
