We’ve discussed many times how the modern day CMO job is one of the hardest and most demanding jobs in the history of business.
There’s so much going on. Marketing and advertising technology is changing every minute. The consumer is constantly changing as the world around them evolves and they are forced to deal with new ways of working, shopping and buying.
And all of that stuff has taken a lot of old rules of marketing, advertising, PR, events and media and shifted the playing field while marketers and their agencies have been trying to play the game. This is a challenge to CMOs and agencies on a day-to-day basis.
In this overwhelming environment, CMOs have a secret advantage that is often hidden in their agencies. What is that special built in advantage agencies can offer CMOs?
A CMO deals with the same industry, same competitors and typically the same challenges every day that result from that ecosystem. Agencies, on the other hand, have a much broader view. They are seeing a lot more change than the marketer because the agencies, on a day-to-day basis, are folks that are dealing with a wide range of clients and they see a much wider range of issues, and much wider range, frankly, of successful solutions. This knowledge base is a potential core advantage agencies can bring to marketers.
Advice for Senior Marketers
Advice for Agency Executive
Steve Boehler, founder, and partner at Mercer Island Group has led consulting teams on behalf of clients as diverse as Zillow Group, Microsoft, UScellular, Nintendo, Ulta Beauty, Stop & Shop, Qualcomm, Brooks Running, and numerous others. He founded MIG after serving as a division president in a Fortune 100 when he was only 32. Earlier in his career, Steve cut his teeth with a decade in Brand Management at Procter & Gamble, leading brands like Tide, Pringles, and Jif.
