Oystercatchers Club

Takeaway

Changing role of the CMO25 March 2014

The Changing Role of the CMO – The Panel

Paul Kemp-RobertsonCo-Founder & Editorial DirectorContagious

Ian FilbyCEODFS

Nigel VazSVP & Managing Director EMEA Sapient Nitro

Daryl FieldingDirector of Brand MarketingVodafone

Suki ThompsonCEOOystercatchers

Chaired by

Oystercatchers Club Evening -The Changing Role of the CMOOystercatchers predicts that marketing directors will need to embrace

technology to develop their role and remit. Understanding the language

of business will be paramount if they are going to win the uber role of

CMTO (chief marketing and technology officer) which will see a rise in

2014 as the emphasis on systems, data and process are utilised to

create customer centric businesses.

On 25th March, we held a panel debate to discuss issues surrounding the

CMO and their ever changing role, here are some of the take outs…

Takeaway 1: Technology the disruptor

• Technology has always been a disrupter; In the mid 20th century TV disrupted print and defined advertising and marketing communications for 50 years, now it is digital technology which is the disruptor

• In the context of the last two centuries, rapid speed of change in

technologies has been the norm• That suggests that the last 50 years, a period dominated by TV, have

been a period of aberration• Curiosity combined with humbleness, resourcefulness and a great

network are key characteristics for a CMO’s survival in a time of rapid technological change

Takeaway 1: Technology the disruptor

‘If you look at marketing maybe in the 1890s in a small town it is very similar to the way it is now except with digital it is happening at scale. I just think that we had 50 years of manufacture out in a supply economy that I think is the aberration’ Daryl Fielding

‘Having that curiosity, but also pulling in people who perhaps know what they’re doing better than you do, and being humble enough to say you know what I have no idea how to do this but let me find someone who can’ Daryl Fielding

‘Having a knowledge across every single aspect of you know sales and distribution as well as a technological aspect, suddenly this role is very complex’ Paul Kemp-Robertson

Takeaway 2: Importance of the Customer Journey

• The customer journey is the thing which unites all of the marketing

pillars, preventing silos and subsequent incrementalism

• Developing the customer journey gets everybody round a table

figuring out where the money really needs to go

• Given the proliferation of so many different channels where customers

intersect with the brand, A crucial skill for a CMO is the ability to

analyse that holistic piece

Takeaway 2: Importance of the Customer Journey

‘You do have to start with what you have and figure out where you think the biggest impact would be by changing something and although we are sort of starting with the coms, the journey doesn’t end there and we are going to look at everything, and looking at shopper insight as well around what happens when people go into our stores’ Ian Filby

‘Your brand is growing at 2% a year then you will get 2% more money and everything just continues as it is with creeping forward and doing a little more each year’ Daryl Fielding

Takeaway 3: The importance of focus

• As life has become more complicated, with channels proliferating

and the speed of technological change has increased, the fear of

being left behind can lead to indiscriminate grabbing onto new

things

• It is easy to be seduced by the need to have the latest ‘cool digital

stuff’

• Take a breath

• Make brutal prioritisations about what is really important and what

is really effective

Takeaway 3: The importance of focus

‘We must make financial smart choices that are enduring, you have this huge range of things you could do to understand what really makes the biggest difference and how will you choose that, how will you make your businesses as simple as you can’ Martin Glenn

‘So many of my younger brand team talk a lot about conversations with consumers . I think consumers want to get on this their lives and buy the biscuits or whatever.’ Martin Glenn

‘I am constantly presented with what I call the random selection of cool stuff and you go how many people is this actually going to reach’ Daryl Fielding

Takeaway 4: CMOs as team players

• One impact of the technical change has been the need for closer, more effective relationships between the CIO and the CMO

• There is an increasing shift to leadership team members trying to move ideas forward together, at speed

• Core people skills of being both persuasive and passionate means that a CMO who can influence across the organisation will help to drive the company to being customer-centric

• There is no universal paradigm of what makes a great CMO• It depends on the business, the context and the commercial

imperative

Takeaway 4: CMOs as team players

‘I think more than half of the board today has a stake in what is effectively the CMOs turf, because the inter-relationships are starting to build tremendously’ Nigel Vaz

‘I think there is no one mould for the CMO, it is a very very different brief and its going to depend on what that company needs’ Daryl Fielding

‘I may not be an expert in technology, I may not be an expert in every area of communication like response marketing but I will own that journey and connect it for my colleagues on the board’ Nigel Vaz

‘What I would see in terms of a structural change which would just be the notion that you need clear goals and great teamwork and interdependency and mutual accountability’ Nigel Vaz

Takeaway 5: Effectiveness and Efficiency• CMOs are constantly looking at new ways to measure

effectiveness and ROI• Management team are completely getting aligned around the key

metrics that need to be improved and driven • Net Promoter Scores from key points on the customer journey help

to identify the practical steps which need to be taken to improve performance

• For retailers, Employee Net Promoter Scores are critical indicators

Takeaway 5: Effectiveness and Efficiency

‘I need to, at every moment, look at the business case that drives the brand’ Ian Filby

‘We all get very down on TV advertising; it is still bloody effective’Daryl Fielding

‘’The management team are completely getting aligned around key metrics like that we need to improved and drive’ Daryl Fielding

About the Oystercatchers Club

The Oystercatchers Club was created in response to Agency CEOs and Brand CMOs asking for an informal forum where senior people could meet to inspire, share knowledge and confidentially discuss industry trends and issues.

The Club meets on a bi-monthly basis in central London and members select the topics for debate. At each Club evening, we welcome approximately 180 Marketing Directors, Chief Marketing Officers, Agency CEOs and Managing Directors.

Four client and agency speakers are invited to debate a hot, and often contentious, topic. Each is allocated fifteen minutes to share their points of view and knowledge leading to lively audience discussion.

We’d like to think that there is no other Club like this in the industry.

If you would like to see the short and full edit from the evening, please go to the Oystercatchers website: http://www.theoystercatchers.com/oystercatchers-club-2/

Who are Oystercatchers  We are a leading management consultancy, expert in helping agencies and brand teams maximise their marketing performance with astute optimisation of creative, strategic and media partnerships.  We help brands achieve their Marketing objectives We accelerate Marketing performance We remove the interference to release your potential Our Services: Optimise™ Our proprietary 360˚ evaluation methodology Optimise™ is considered an industry innovator. With Optimise™, we evaluate and improve the strength of creative and strategic partnerships. Excellence™ With a faculty of world-class trainers and coaches, we deliver marketing excellence and best-in class ways of working to brand and agency teams. Agency Search and Selection Drawing on our extensive knowledge across all aspects of the agency marketplace, we create structures and mechanisms to support an optimal search and selection process for our clients and agencies. We have run over 250 successful pitches in the UK and internationally, placing over €300m of fees with agencies. Ignite™ We deliver fair value for all with thorough analysis and rigour across every facet of brand and agency financial partnership and spend. 

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If you would like to understand more about Oystercatchers and the Club, Suki would be delighted to speak to you:  suki@theoystercatchers.com +44 7957 208 040  www.theoystercatchers.com

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