Renegade Marketers Unite

The role of the Chief Marketing Officer in any company is tough simply because it requires a seemingly contradictory set of skills - the foresight and courage of a brand marketer, and the detail and systems approach of a performance marketer. How can anyone be expected to fill THAT kind of job description as a CMO? That’s the question being explored on this episode. Drew’s guest is Kristi Maynor, Head of the U.S. CMO and Digital Transformation Practice at Egon Zehnder, one of the top recruitment and talent search companies in the world. The resumes of some of the top CMO candidates in business have passed through her hands, so if anyone can describe the kind of skills it takes to be or become a truly effective CMO, Kristi can. Join us for this wide-ranging and provoking conversation as we dig into why courage and curiosity are some of the most important characteristics for any potential CMO and how you can take steps in your current position that position you for advancement to the prestigious yet challenging role of CMO. You’ll enjoy this conversation so I hope you take the time to listen. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts - Stitcher - or Podsearch What You’ll Learn [0:30] Courage: Easy to say but hard to demonstrate [1:23] Kristi Maynor’s role with Egon Zehnder, one of the premier talent search agencies in the world. [4:01] Marketers at Procter and Gamble Kristi worked with who she believes was courageous [8:11] The top characteristic of successful CMOs: Curiosity [12:03] The expanding role of today’s marketer and what should a CMO be responsible for? [15:35] Who does better? A brand marketer or performance marketer? [21:55] The role of the CMO as bridge builder and instigator of more effective integrations within the company [27:43] Advice Kristi gives to those looking to become a CMO in the future [29:54] Why very few CMOs become CEOs In order to transform a company you have to exhibit courage from the moment you walk in It’s probably fair to say that most newly-hired CMOs are walking into a situation where their new employer is struggling, at least on some level. They’ve been hired to assess the current state of things, diagnose the problems, and set a new direction that brings the company out of the down season and into a new era of success. Stepping into a situation like that requires courage - both because it’s a step into the unknown and because it will require the development of plans that take the company in an entirely new direction. Find out how Kristi Maynor suggests you cultivate and develop that kind of courage, on this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite. The problematic need for a CMO who is brand driven AND performance driven As Kristi and Drew discussed the common traits Kristi has seen in some of the most effective and sought-after CMOs in the business world, it quickly became apparent that a person with a very unusual gift-mix is needed to fill this vital and company-changing role. The CMO job description demands a person who is visionary and able to communicate where the brand is headed - but at the same time able to spearhead efforts to build systems and procedures that drive the process efficiently. There aren’t many people like that, and Kristi explains what it takes to become that person and succeed, in this episode. When working toward a CMO role, don’t focus on the title, focus on the impact you’ll be able to have It’s undoubtedly an ego boost to anyone to be offered the role of CMO in a prestigious company. But the allure of such a high profile position pales in comparison to the potential the role provides. Kristi Maynor has seen many new CMOs step into their role with courage and lead their company to new heights. Her advice? Don’t focus on the title or position you’ve been given, focus on the impact you’ll be able to have. Keeping your eyes on the prize enables you to avoid reading your own press and accomplish the things you were hired to do - and everyone from team members to customers to board members will benefit as a result. This episode shares key insights from a woman who’s seen the impact of effective CMOs first-hand. Don’t miss it. Connect With Kristi: Kristi’s profile on the Egon Zehnder site Connect with Kristi on LinkedIn Follow Kristi on Twitter Resources & People Mentioned Procter and Gamble Kevin Hochman of KFC Beth Comstock Salesforce Best Buy Domino's Pizza Box.com Aflac Connect with Drew http://renegade.com/ On LinkedIn On Twitter On Facebook On Instagram

B2B storytelling isn’t easy especially on a modest budget. Creating campaigns that both peak the interest of prospective customers and rally the morale of employees requires careful orchestration and a big idea. On this episode, Tungsten Network's CMO Connie O’Brien breaks down how her internal and external team built a story-driven content marketing program that filled the company's pipeline with high-quality leads. Working with multiple agency partners including Renegade LLC, Speed Communications, and Dragon Search, O'Brien also provides valuable insights on how to maximize teamwork by getting everyone pointed at the same goals and metrics. Meet the Guest Connie O’Brien is the CMO of UK-based Tungsten Network. As CMO, Connie is responsible for the Tungsten brand and ensuring the firm is at the forefront of the digital transformation of the purchase-to-pay process, with a focus on how we delight our customers through automated, scalable, dynamic and personalized experiences. Connie joined Tungsten from Affinion Group, an international membership, and loyalty company where she was Chief Digital Officer. She has over twenty years’ experience driving digital marketing strategies for businesses and has delivered campaigns for brands including GlaxoSmithKline, P&G, Kraft Foods, AXA, John Hancock, AT&T, Vonage, and Verizon. Connie is an innovative executive with an exceptional record of building award-winning integrated experiences across channels. She has expert multi-dimensional skills in strategy development, product launches, and cross-functional team building. Connie has also demonstrated a proven ability to align operations, establish a shared vision, recruit and retain top talent, build collaborative teams and instill the focus on shareholder value creation. What You’ll Learn The ingredients of a successful story-driven content marketing strategy. How to empower your employees to get behind a new campaign. How to develop a sound A/B testing strategy. Advice for navigating agency partnerships.

Think of this episode as a happy holiday greeting with just a bit of meat on the bones as Michele Fino, CMO of DoSomething.org, offers family-friendly advice on how to give back during the holiday season. Michele’s suggestions are short and sweet offering a poignant reminder that giving is a habit that can be taught and shared at an early age.

Are you hyped for the 2018 International Consumer Electronics Show? Today’s guest, Shelly Palmer (CEO of the Palmer Group), covers some of the biggest tech trends that will be shown off at the event. Palmer talks about the future of AI, illustrating how consumer interaction with products like Google Home and Amazon Alexa is expected to evolve in the near future. Meet the Guest  Named one of LinkedIn’s Top 10 Voices in Technology, Shelly Palmer is CEO of The Palmer Group, a strategic advisory, technology solutions and business development practice focused at the nexus of media and marketing with a special emphasis on machine learning and data-driven decision-making. He is a trusted strategic advisor to the C-Suite of leading digital media, content, broadcasting and technology firms and a key driver of market, technology and strategic direction, as well as acquisition strategies, for his clients. Palmer is well known as Fox 5 New York’s on-air tech expert and for his work on the Emmy-nominated television show, Shelly Palmer Digital Living. He is also a regular technology commentator for CNBC, MSNBC, CNN, and Fox Business News. An award-winning composer, producer, writer and director, Palmer has worked with hundreds of brands, agencies, broadcasters, publishers and tech platforms on advertising and marketing campaigns such as Meow Mix, Burger King and The City of Las Vegas. Palmer is the author of Television Disrupted: The Transition from Network to Networked TV (Focal Press 2006; 2nd Edition, York House Press, 2008) the seminal book about the technological, economic, and sociological forces that are changing everything, Overcoming The Digital Divide: How to use Social Media and Digital Tools to Reinvent Yourself and Your Career (York House Press, 2011), Digital Wisdom: Thought Leadership for a Connected World (York House Press, 2013) and Data-Driven Thinking: A collection of essays on data-driven decision making (Digital Living Press, 2016). You can book your official CES tour with a ShellyPalmer strategic advisor here. What You’ll Learn What to expect at the 2018 International Consumer Electronics Show. How collaborating with people outside your field can lead to big ideas. Insights into recent AI trends. Topics to think about in preparation for the CES show. Quotes from Shelly Palmer This year at CES, we're going to have a really good look at integrations between the natural language understanding tools and the physical world. Just physically being at CES puts you in an environment where you can meet people who are scholarly, learned, and experienced in other disciplines. Consumers are going to always find the most frictionless path to fulfill their desires. If you're going to spend a few days out of your life [at CES] without having to be in the office and you're going to go learn new things, well then have a plan about what you want to learn.

Retail is not exactly rich with turnaround stories these days but that's exactly what's happened at Pearle Vision. CMO Doug Zarkin provides a step-by-step review of how the brand has gone from stagnant to revitalized, indicated by same-store sales growth, new store openings and a jump in ranking from >100 to #24 among the best franchises to own. Through a number of small but ultimately significant changes like renaming customers to patients, employees to eye care professionals and stores to eye care centers, Pearle Vision has been able to shift the conversation from deals on glasses to professional eye care. Most significantly, Zarkin and company figured out that people who come in for eye exams are far more likely to buy glasses and become repeat customers than those that are just shopping for new glasses.   Meet the Guest Doug Zarkin is a senior-level, global strategic marketing executive with an impressive array of honors and recognition for his marketing and brand building successes in the retail arena at companies such as Avon, Limited Brands and Kellwood. In 2012, Doug joined Luxottica where he is currently responsible for the global strategic marketing, visual merchandising, product promotion and store design for Luxottica's global optical franchise business Pearle Vision. Among other industry accolades, in 2015 and again in 2016 Doug and his team were recognized with a Silver Effie for marketing excellence in HealthCare Services Marketing for leading the brand revitalization work for Pearle Vision. When not at the office, Doug can be found on the tennis court or in the pool with his two kids. What You’ll Learn How a willingness to learn and listen can allow your team to win. Why marketers should practice humility when facing their audience. Insightful perspectives on social media’s role in the brand-customer relationship. How your brand’s language can influence consumer perceptions.  Quotes from Doug Zarkin Any marketer worth his salt knows that a positioning that doesn't make for great execution is just words on paper. To win, you must always be thinking about consumer perception because as smart as you are…you're never going to be as smart as your consumer. There is a positioning idea where you want to be aspirational. I don't think that's it. I think it's about a positioning ideal where you want to be inspirational. Trust is really built in a series of small moments.    

Renegade Thinkers Unite may be 50 episodes in, but we’ve only begun to scratch the surface of the many innovative marketing ideas out there. This special episode takes a unique twist; instead of asking the questions, Drew will be answering them! Marketing Today podcast host Alan Hart asks the RTU host about some of the biggest insights he’s discovered after interviewing over 200 CMOs. So buckle in and get ready to learn about Drew’s favorite renegade-inspired strategies discussed on the show.

A little tenderness goes a long way when trying to reach an audience. If you want to develop a brand message that has meaning, emotional storytelling could be the key to your next marketing campaign. As bestselling author Chris Bohjalian illustrated in Part I of this Renegade Thinkers Unite episode, storytelling is all about touching the audience on a personal level. In Part II of this episode, Bohjalian talks about the mechanics behind some of the deeply emotional themes he has communicated to his readers over the years. The author’s eloquent words are sure to inspire your marketing team, as he provides narrative advice that can help your brand convey a powerful story. Meet the Guest Chris Bohjalian is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 20 books. His work has been translated into over 30 languages and three times become movies. His new book, The Flight Attendant, lands March 13, 2018. Bohjalian's books have been chosen as Best Books of the Year by The Washington Post, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Hartford Courant, The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, Bookpage, and Salon. His awards include the ANCA Freedom Award for his work educating Americans about the Armenian Genocide; the ANCA Arts and Letters Award for The Sandcastle Girls, as well as the Saint Mesrob Mashdots Medal; the New England Society Book Award for The Night Strangers; the New England Book Award; Russia’s Soglasie (Concord) Award for The Sandcastle Girls; a Boston Public Library Literary Light; a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Trans-Sister Radio; a Best Lifestyle Column for Idyll Banter from the Vermont Press Association; and the Anahid Literary Award. Bohjalian is a Fellow of the Vermont Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has written for a wide variety of magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, Reader’s Digest, and The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine. He was a weekly columnist in Vermont for The Burlington Free Press from 1992 through 2015.  

Marketing is all about telling stories. Who could share better storytelling insights than #1 New York Times bestselling author Chris Bohjalian who also started his career in account service at J. Walter Thomson? A character-driven novelist who imports his own emotional experiences into many of his deeply descriptive works, Bohjalian has mastered the ability to connect with his readers. The wordsmith shares his strategy for hooking in audiences and discusses his genuine approach to engaging with fans on social media. Chris Bohjalian is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 20 books including Midwives, Sleepwalker and The Guest Room. His work has been translated into over 30 languages and three times become movies. Bohjalian's new book, The Flight Attendant, lands March 13, 2018. His books have been chosen as Best Books of the Year by The Washington Post, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Hartford Courant, The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, Bookpage, and Salon. Bohjalian's awards include the ANCA Freedom Award for his work educating Americans about the Armenian Genocide; the ANCA Arts and Letters Award for The Sandcastle Girls, as well as the Saint Mesrob Mashdots Medal; the New England Society Book Award for The Night Strangers; the New England Book Award; Russia’s Soglasie (Concord) Award for The Sandcastle Girls; a Boston Public Library Literary Light; a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Trans-Sister Radio; a Best Lifestyle Column for Idyll Banter from the Vermont Press Association; and the Anahid Literary Award. He is a Fellow of the Vermont Academy of Arts and Sciences. Bohjalian has written for a wide variety of magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, Reader’s Digest, and The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine. He was a weekly columnist in Vermont for The Burlington Free Press from 1992 through 2015. After graduating from Amherst College, Bohjalian started his career in advertising as an account executive at J. Walter Thompson where he met the host Drew Neisser. In this episode, you'll learn among other things the dramatic story that pushed Bohjalian out of New York City and into the verdant hills of Vermont. 

Is your marketing department diverse? Does it reflect the target audience you are hoping to engage?  If not, there's a good chance your communications will fall flat and the chance of recruiting a diverse workforce in the future will be that much tougher. How then do you hire and then manage a diverse workforce and what are the key benefits of doing so? To answer these questions and more, Jennifer Brown is this week's guest on Renegade Thinkers Unite.    Jennifer Brown is an award-winning entrepreneur, dynamic speaker and diversity and inclusion expert. She is the founder, president, and CEO of Jennifer Brown Consulting (JBC), a strategic leadership and diversity consulting firm that coaches business leaders worldwide on critical issues of talent and workplace strategy. Brown is a passionate advocate for social equality who delves into the “business case for diversity” as she helps businesses foster healthier, more productive workplace cultures. With over a decade of experience consulting to Fortune 500 companies including Toyota, Starbucks, and Capital One, Brown is a highly sought-after expert source on changing demographics, specific communities of identity including women, people of color, LGBT individuals, generations like Millennials, and the role of male leaders in change efforts. Brown’s book Inclusion: Diversity, the New Workplace & the Will to Change (2016) will inspire leadership to embrace the opportunity that diversity represents and empower advocates at all levels to find their voice and be a driving force in creating more enlightened organizations that resonate in a fast-changing world. You can learn more about Brown’s mission on The Will to Change podcast.

If your own CEO is skeptical about your marketing strategy, chances are you’ll run into problems internally and externally. To operate more effectively and with the board’s full support, you need to fully understand the data and communicate it honestly. Few professionals understand the importance of the CEO-CMO relationship as well as Alan Trefler—founder, CEO, and chairman of Pegasystems. Listen now for Alan’s take on building a stronger rapport with your superiors, maintaining customer satisfaction, and working as a student of business. Alan Trefler is a visionary change-agent, innovative philanthropist, and trusted advisor to business leaders around the world.  Alan founded Pegasystems three decades ago to change how the world builds software.  In that time, Alan’s unique vision and relentless focus on client success has positively evolved the way many of the world’s leading enterprises engage with their customers. Alan’s best-seller, Build for Change, describes a new generation of customers with the unprecedented power to make or break brands and the changes businesses must embrace to succeed in today’s digital world. Alan is the holder of multiple software patents, and the recipient of industry awards recognizing him as an innovative CEO and successful entrepreneur.  In 2017, Alan was appointed to the World Economic Forum’s IT Steering Committee. A staunch education advocate, Alan and wife Pam established the Trefler Foundation in 1996 to improve educational outcomes.   The Foundation recently sponsored Union & Fifth, an innovative non-profit that turns clothing donations into money for charities.