Tag: CMO

How DocuSign’s CMO Developed a Marketing Vision

Posted on by Drew Neisser

Developing a marketing vision through company-wide orchestration will allow you create more value while streamlining work. In today’s accelerated world, both customers and businesses want to spend less time on logistics and more time actually making a difference in their markets. DocuSign is one of the top businesses doing just that – allowing work to happen faster for over 200 million users across 188 countries.

On this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite, Drew interviews Scott Olrich, the Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer for DocuSign. They discuss exactly what orchestration means in terms of B2B marketing environments, how to sell a marketing vision, and why courageous decision making should be a part of any CMO job description.

Scott is behind some of the biggest changes at DocuSign, rated as the 22nd best place to work in 2018 by Glassdoor. He shares his expertise with Drew in this interview and explains why ultimate orchestration will set you apart from your competitors in an exciting new way.

To hear why marketing visions are so important, be sure to catch this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite. Click here to listen.

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What orchestration means within a company and why it’s critical

When Scott started the orchestration process at DocuSign, the company was focused solely on making digital signatures easier. Now they are moving towards streamlining multiple components of doing business in a digital world. In any company environment, you have to understand where your organization’s broader category of business is going to go. Rather than focusing solely on the “now,” teams have to be able to see where the entire market is going in the future and set up systems to accommodate that forward growth. That’s where orchestration comes in. Essentially, orchestration occurs when a company’s marketing visions, products, sales teams, and senior leadership all subscribe to a new macro way of thinking about the company. This drives long-term success because as Scott explains, “People want to buy into the future! They just have to be given a reason to do so.”

The importance of not pushing the envelope too far 

The first step of orchestration is to develop a new marketing vision for your company. This clear vision and narrative of what you think the company should be will drive your products, marketing strategies, and internal educational components. A vision should teach and challenge people to think differently about the bigger picture issue, but you have to be able to back up this vision with real-world examples that people can understand. Orchestration does so much more than just improve response rates for one marketing campaign, it has the power to rework your entire business if you allow it. The biggest danger with orchestration? You want to avoid a disconnect between your product and the vision you’re trying to sell. If your marketing teams and product teams are not on the same page, customers will recognize this and be wary of your company. To hear Scott explain this challenge in full detail, be sure to listen to this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite.

Why courageous decision making should be a large part of any CMO job description

As the Chief Strategy Officer and CMO, Scott has been charged with taking an already successful company and making it even better. On this episode, Drew asks Scott how he has the courage to take risky decisions and how he combats the idea of “if it’s not broken, why fix it?” Once you establish a clear marketing vision you have to subscribe to it 100%, go out and win over the rest of the company, and then sell it to your customers. There’s actually a formula for this type of courageous decision-making, and Scott fully explains each step in this interview with Drew. Your company and your career will greatly benefit from hearing his story, so don’t miss this episode.

What You’ll Learn

  • [1:10] Drew introduces his guest for this episode, Scott Olrich, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer for DocuSign
  • [4:25] DocuSign’s current place in transactional happiness and what it means to be an orchestrated company
  • [11:54] What exactly does orchestration mean within a company?
  • [15:05] The importance of not pushing the envelope too far when it comes to selling a vision
  • [19:25] How Scott views the idea of a company narrative and how it can be used to sell your marketing vision
  • [24:29] Scott shares how he’s incorporating courageous decision-making into his current position at DocuSign
  • [28:59] Where DocuSign is headed in the future
  • [36:25] Drew’s summary of the episode, and why orchestration will set you apart from your competitors

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The Ups and Downs of Xerox’s Universal Awareness and Shifting Your Brand Perception

Posted on by Drew Neisser

The ultimate dream for marketers is universal awareness – the point in time when your brand becomes synonymous with a noun. Having your brand become a verb is an even better case scenario (think, “I’ll Venmo you the money!” or “I’ll Google it.”) This extremely high level of brand awareness can create issues though when your brand perception becomes “stuck” in this one-way thinking.

On this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite, the CMO of Xerox, Toni Clayton-Hine, joins Drew for a conversation about how Xerox is embracing the new connectivity trend and how it is breaking through old brand perceptions to stay relevant in the 21st century.

Toni shares with Drew the story behind Xerox’s latest marketing initiative, Set the Page Free, and how Xerox is striving to be at the forefront of the intersection between digital and physical workspaces. They also discuss the pros and cons of such a risky marketing project and Toni’s top “do’s and don’ts” for current CMOs.

Join Drew and Toni for this engaging conversation – you won’t want to miss a single minute. Click here to listen now.

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Xerox’s latest Set the Page Free project and how they “marketed the marketing” so effectively

When faced with seemingly cemented brand perceptions, Xerox came up with a creative and big-picture marketing campaign: Set the Page Free. With 14 world-famous writers and creative minds in collaboration, Xerox told the story of the modern workplace – and the entire project was produced using Xerox technology. The end result were podcasts, videos, and a final free download book. After creating the piece, Toni and her team had to answer the question, “who is going to consume this content?” Drew asks Toni about how they “marketed the marketing campaign” so effectively and she explains that they really leveraged the celebrity collaborators and their social channels. For the full story behind the project, don’t miss this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite.

What does brand storytelling mean to Xerox in the 21st century?

Shifting Xerox’s brand perceptions became a balance of using the company’s history to their advantage, while still demonstrating to their customers that they are about more than just copying and faxing physical documents. The Set the Page Free project helped Xerox transition from the realm of a 1990s office verb into a frontrunner of 21st-century workplace technology. This engaging act of brand storytelling allowed the company to show the outcome of using their technology, not just the inputs. Since Xerox is a B2B technology company, Toni’s goal is to ensure Xerox is seen as fresh, relevant, and understanding of their different types of customers. To hear more of Toni’s marketing initiatives at Xerox that are continually shaping their brand perspectives, be sure to listen to the full audio.

The biggest lessons Toni has learned since joining Xerox and why taking marketing risks can be beneficial

While developing Set the Page Free, Toni explained that she often struggled with the desire to control every aspect of the project and subsequent brand awareness surveys. But when Drew asks her about the biggest lessons she learned while working on the project, Toni explains that Xerox had to take a risk in order to shift how people think about the company – and taking that risk also meant dealing with unpredictable variables. She also learned the importance of being more directive in her approach to help customers understand how to bring their Xerox technology tools to life. To hear Toni’s top “do’s and don’ts” for other CMOs, don’t miss this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite.

What You’ll Learn

  • [0:30] Why does brand awareness matter when you’re trying to sell a product or service?
  • [3:15] Drew introduces his guest for this episode, Toni Clayton, CMO of Xerox
  • [4:52] The main strategy behind Xerox’s marketing
  • [9:31] The benefit of working with creators who deliver extraordinary content
  • [12:58] Once you’ve created the excellent content, you have to “market the marketing”
  • [15:47] Toni explains how she had the courage to approach her CEO with this big, untestable idea
  • [18:30] What does storytelling meaning to Toni and Xerox?
  • [23:29] How Xerox is currently demonstrating their broader platform and usability
  • [26:48] Combatting the loss of reach associated with using digital marketing tactics
  • [30:19] How Xerox is showing customers new ways to use their products
  • [32:11] The biggest lesson Toni has learned in her career with Xerox
  • [37:03] One “do” and one “don’t” for CMOs as a result of Toni’s experience with Xerox

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Marketing Trends from The CMO Survey and Reigniting Your Passion for Marketing

Posted on by Drew Neisser

Christine Moorman is the T. Austin Finch, Sr. Professor of Business Administration at The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. Beginning in 2008 she started interviewing marketing leaders to determine their most important marketing questions and The CMO Survey has been an integral part of illuminating marketing trends ever since.

Christine shares with Drew her excitement over the future of marketing and explains that “It’s not just about number crunching, the best marketing analytics bridge the divide between human insights and hard data.” They also dive into a conversation about why performing all marketing activities well is critical to organizational success.

On this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite, Drew and Christine discuss the importance of teaching holistic marketing to future industry leaders, current trends in marketing, and the importance of measuring marketing effectiveness.

Christine and Drew’s conversation is sure to reignite your passion for marketing, so don’t miss this episode. (Click here to listen now).

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The importance of passionate marketing curriculum in academia

Marketing is the one area in business that companies cannot afford to not master. Exceptional marketing helps acquire and maintain customers which is critical to long-term success and profit. As new generations of future industry leaders are rising through the ranks of higher education, professors like Christine are setting the standards high. Throughout this episode, she explains a few of the top challenges she faces in the classroom, as well as why she enjoys instilling a passion for marketing in her students. You don’t want to miss her description of why watching her students adopt a customer-first mindset is one of the greatest benefits of her position at Duke University, so be sure to listen.

Key findings on marketing effectiveness and the top four components for measuring return on investments

One of the biggest findings The CMO Survey has uncovered is the fact that marketing efforts need the whole company’s support in order to be most effective. Christine explains that every CMO needs to ask themselves, “What place does marketing have in my company/career? How can I be the voice of the customer?” After these questions have been addressed, companies can move forward in evaluating how marketing is impacting ROI. Drew and Christine also list the top four metrics to be used in ROI evaluation: awareness based on reach, brand/brand lift, usage, and customer retention. They go into full detail on these metrics and why they’re so critical – you should hear what they have to say.

Where Christine sees future marketing trends going in the future and why she’s excited

Throughout her career in marketing, Christine has found that “It’s such a dynamic field, a full array of different people and different works.” In the digital age, marketing is an integral part of life in even more varied ways. Innovating marketing tactics are only going to become more refined over time, and marketing will continue to show up in new and impressive ways. Drew and Christine both believe that you can truly drive things forward with the deep understanding that stellar marketing can bring.

What You’ll Learn

  • [1:44] Drew introduces this week’s guest, Professor Christine Moorman, Professor at The Fuqua School of Business, Duke University
  • [3:42] The importance of marketing in the business education curriculum  
  • [7:02] Key marketing components that Christine hopes students take away from her classes
  • [9:30] The difference between the tech companies and the CPGs viewed from a teaching mindset
  • [13:00] Christine talks about the macro trends she’s seen since the survey was released
  • [20:20] Christine explains the difference between digital marketing “stuff” and digital marketing organization
  • [24:27] The future of CMOs and key questions to ask your marketing team
  • [26:17] The ability to measure marketing effectiveness as shown by the survey
  • [28:24] Key metrics used to evaluate marketing ROI
  • [33:20] Christine shares her excitement over the future of marketing
  • [35:00] The true reality of marketing done well

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Effective Verticalization Through the ‘Jive’ Way, and Why Engineers Make Great CMOs

Posted on by Drew Neisser

The historically challenging industry of telecommunications is changing thanks in part to Jive Communications and their cloud-based phone services. Drew talks with co-founder and current CMO, Matt Peterson, about how he transitioned from his background in software engineering into the marketing realm.

Not only do they discuss Jive’s innovative marketing verticalization strategies, but they also focus on the company’s innate ability to tackle big problems and approach large customer opportunities with confidence and ease.

Hear the story behind Jive’s unconventional beginning and the heart of the company, as well as discover Matt’s favorite resources for marketing professionals by listening to this engaging episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite.

Matt and Drew’s conversation is sure to inspire and educate – you don’t want to miss it!

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What You’ll Learn

  • [0:31] Drew introduces his guest for this episode, Matt Peterson, co-founder and CMO of Jive Communications
  • [3:44] Matt explains how he became the CMO of Jive
  • [6:34] How Matt’s background in software engineering influences his current work in marketing
  • [10:20] Drew asks Matt about his biggest learning curve when entering the marketing realm of Jive
  • [13:35] What is at the heart of the Jive brand?
  • [16:43] The top examples of Jive’s marketing campaigns that point to the core of Jive
  • [21:25] Drew asks Matt about one of Jive’s most creative marketing projects
  • [23:59] Another example of a Jive program that points to their core values
  • [27:00] Brands and strategies from other companies that Matt admires
  • [29:48] How to keep your  marketing mind sharp and Matt’s top resources for CMOs
  • [34:04] Matt explains some of the strategies Jive is implementing for better organizational success
  • [36:00] Challenges Matt is tackling in 2018

The heart behind Jive Communications and how Matt’s background helps him in his position as CMO

Drew and Matt discuss at length the heart of Jive Communications, and Matt attributes much of the company’s success to their “scrappy, blue-collar, bootstrap” approach. He understands that while their competitors may be larger and have more resources, Jive is able to tackle the industry and “punch above their weight class” with ease. Matt explains that by using his background in software engineering he is able to approach problems with an analytical mind that quickly links together the human intangibles found in marketing with what the data illuminates. Your company could benefit from hearing the story behind Jive’s foundation and current success, so be sure to listen.

Tackling marketing verticalization the Jive way

In order to effectively go after specific customers within their chosen target market, Matt needed to help Jive Communications find its optimal verticalization strategy. One of the best examples he explains to Drew involves the K-12 education system – a customer base that was notoriously hard to enter and change. By following Jive’s “scrappy” mindset Matt and his team were able to solve multiple problems for their education customers and ended up with dozens of new sales contracts. You don’t want to miss the full story of how Jive is shaking up the telecom industry, or the other fascinating examples of prime verticalization, so give this episode your full attention.

How to keep your marketing mind sharp and Matt’s top two challenges for 2018

Matt explains to Drew that staying current in the marketing industry through continuing education is key to greater success. By attending conferences, reading voraciously, and having an incredible appetite for knowledge your marketing professionals are sure to stay at the top of their game. In this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite, Matt discusses his top two challenges for 2018: communicating Jive’s differentiation points in better ways and nailing their outbound approaches. Be sure to listen to the full episode to catch the whole conversation.

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Going Beyond Marketing Through Social Media and Listening to Customer Voice

Posted on by Drew Neisser

As the CMO of Hootsuite, Penny Wilson has some fantastic insights into the social media listening industry and why identifying the customer voice of your company is essential. Not only is customer voice important for executing exceptional customer service but it can also be used as a tool to effectively communicate with executive boards and chief financial officers.

Drew Neisser asks Penny about her journey towards Hootsuite and the top questions on why listening to your customers is critical. The idea of going “beyond marketing” is explored and Penny’s understanding of this concept is unparalleled.

You can’t afford to miss their discussion on upcoming social media trends that could help your company grow by leaps and bounds. The top challenges faced by CMOs are also discussed in this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite.

It’s sure to be an educational and inspirational episode that you don’t want to miss.

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What You’ll Learn

  • [1:07] Drew introduces the guest for this episode, CMO of Hootsuite, Penny Wilson
  • [4:40] How social media is helping companies go “beyond marketing”
  • [5:57] Penny’s part in a new leadership team at Hootsuite
  • [7:53] Unpacking the voice of the customer
  • [13:02] Finding insights for your company through listening to the customer voice
  • [19:43] Hootsuite’s challenge of breaking out of their original market
  • [23:32] Drew asks Penny about the main challenges for CMOs
  • [24:25] How can CMOs provide CFOs with the tools they need to understand the importance of marketing?
  • [27:00] Social media opportunities that are often overlooked by companies
  • [29:33] How AI can revolutionize the social media tools companies are using

Customer voice is a tool that reaches beyond just marketing

By taking the time to understand your company’s customers and the preferences and expectations they have, you can capture their collective voice. While this voice has obvious benefits in product/service development it can also allow you to examine their entire journey with your company. Listening to the voice of your customers allows you to build a culture that encourages the customer to direct the company and lets the customer lead. Devoted listening creates loyal customers which leads to valuable insights. The listening process should be built into every level of your company, with employees being empowered to become representatives of your company. For more information on how identifying your customer voice can be an asset to your company don’t miss this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite.

The greatest challenge faced by CMOs and how Hootsuite has conquered it

Penny’s career in marketing has allowed her to understand some of the greatest challenges faced by CMOs today. One of the most prevalent issues is the constant need for CMOs to get approval from top-level company leaders for their social listening and marketing campaigns. This challenge requires CMOs to tie marketing to a tangible outcome – a challenge that can be solved by using hypothesis-driven tools and metrics. Dive into this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite to discover how Penny and her team at Hootsuite are enabling companies to create more effective marketing campaigns by offering information on the returns on investment for marketing campaigns.

The most overlooked opportunities that exist through social media listening

Penny explains to Drew that the best marketers should be paying attention to the fact that not every customer or employee is 100% comfortable with social media yet. Educational training components can be built into the company culture or customer interface to allow those with less experience to catch up with the current trends and techniques. She also explains that while artificial intelligence is definitely making an appearance in the social listening spheres, it’s not going to overpower the human element of marketing and customer interaction. No matter how your company goes about social listening to uncover the voice of your customers, keep in mind Penny’s best acronym for marketing – SCALE – social, customer-centered, authentic, listen and learn, and engage. You and your company will benefit from listening to this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite, so be sure to listen.

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How to Reach Your Zone of Focus and the Top Marketing Trends for 2018

Posted on by Drew Neisser

For the 60th episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite, Drew Neisser interviews Peter Shankman – author, serial entrepreneur, and a world-renowned speaker on social economics. He is a top-tier expert on customer service, social media, public relations, and advertising – all while spreading the idea that incredible things can happen when creativity, determination, and ADHD meet.

Drew asks him about best advice for entrepreneurs and how to work in your zone of focus on this engaging and entertaining episode. You’ll discover Peter’s ritual suggestions and what’s on the horizon for marketers in 2018.

You don’t want to miss Peter’s insights into the top marketing mistakes to avoid. He also uncovers why social media relates so strongly to marketing and the foundational beliefs behind storytelling and public relations.

Drew and Peter’s conversation will leave you wanting more, so be sure to listen (click here to listen now).

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What You’ll Learn

  • [0:50] Drew introduces the guest for the 60th Renegade Thinkers Unite episode, Peter Shankman
  • [4:00] How Peter was able to write a book in 31 hours after finding his zone of focus
  • [6:24] Ritual suggestions for marketers in 2018
  • [12:00] New ideas on the horizon for marketers
  • [13:00] The importance of public relations in B2B marketing
  • [15:14] Public relations and marketing mistakes to avoid in the new year
  • [19:00] How do we measure public relations?
  • [22:28] Social media and how it relates to marketing
  • [25:18] Why Twitter is becoming less valuable in a B2B marketing situation
  • [28:35] Best use of social media as a brand within the marketing mix
  • [30:14] Rapid fire questions with Peter Shankman

Why finding and working in your zone of focus is critical for ultimate success

When Peter had two weeks to finish (and start) a book he had committed to writing, he did what works best for his brain. He booked a roundtrip flight to Tokyo and wrote all ten chapters of the book over 31 hours. While this type of work schedule may not be ideal for everyone, Drew and Peter discuss the importance of finding what works for you and focusing solely on tactics within that zone. As conversations about resolutions become increasingly more abundant, Peter counters that line of thinking by explaining that “resolutions fail, but rituals succeed.” To learn more about Peter’s story and to learn from his successes don’t miss this stellar episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite.

The top marketing trends to look for in 2018

2018 is sure to be a cornerstone year for individuals and businesses alike. Peter talks with Drew about why listening is of utmost importance in the marketing realm, but why it has to go beyond listening for a break in conversation so you can share your thoughts. They also discuss why conversations across the world are moving away from distrust and into an age of wanting to believe in the truth again. Understanding hot topic ideas such as blockchain, cryptocurrency, and why Twitter’s heyday may be ending are all covered on this episode, so be sure to take the time to listen.

Public relations in B2B marketing and why having an audience is a privilege – not a right

As B2B marketers it’s key to understand how public relations relates to your company. Public relations helps people to believe the information they’re consuming, which is key for audience engagement. The audience your company targets deserves high-quality content delivered on a timely basis, and Peter explains that companies should never take their audiences for granted. Connecting what you have to what the industry needs, and conveying it in a thoughtful, concise manner, is a key PR strategy in B2B marketing. You can’t afford to miss the rest of Peter’s insights that will help you start off 2018 with a burst of productivity, so don’t miss this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite.

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