CMO Today

The CMO role continues to evolve rapidly, and companies searching for top marketers are seeking executives adept at using both art and science to connect with today’s audiences. Richard Sanderson and Norm Yustin, co-leads of the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) practice at executive search firm Russell Reynolds Associates, offer their insights into the latest search trends, the skills top marketers need to succeed, and how executives can land their dream jobs.

Travelers are expecting much more from their hotel experience than just a place to rest their heads at night. Increased competition from home-sharing services, the advance of new technologies, and expectations of seamless customer service are creating an imperative for hotel companies to reinvent the customer experience. CMOs can play an important role in creating the hotel of the future.

Mastercard, the global payments technology company, has been expanding its “Priceless” advertising campaign for almost two decades. In this Q&A, Raja Rajamannar, the company’s chief marketing and communications officer, sheds light on how Mastercard has grown its connections to consumers as their media and device habits change. He also discusses the brand’s transition from storytelling-focused advertising to experience-led marketing, the new age of digital-wallet transactions, and the ways CMOs can be more effective.

Millennials in the workplace are having a profound impact on how organizations recruit and retain employees. Today, an open talent network is replacing the long-term tenure model of employment. Mike Fucci, chairman of Deloitte LLP, discusses why it’s important for CMOs and other leaders to sponsor young professionals in order to develop future leaders.

A rewarding customer experience (CX) is table stakes for today’s marketers. Yet while many organizations are investing heavily in CX, they often struggle to improve and personalize it in a systematic, measurable way. To make their efforts more effective, companies may have to rethink customer value and use real-time analytics to drive continual improvement.

Risk traditionally hasn’t been within the purview of CMOs, but in today’s technology-driven business environment, brands are more vulnerable than ever. Working with their C-suite counterparts, CMOs can follow leading risk management practices to plan for and, ideally, avoid damaging incidents.