12 POWERS OF A MARKETING LEADER

Paddy Barwise, Emeritus Professor of Marketing & Thomas Barta, Marketing Leadership Expert

According to research...conducted by Thomas Barta and Paddy Barwise, 71% of senior marketers believe that their business impact is high but just 44% are satisfied with their career paths. Thomas pointed out that in order to create marketing success, marketers need to hit the ‘value creation zone’ – a place where we create value for customers (products, services and experiences that meet their needs) value for the company (revenue and profit) and value for ourselves (greater influence and better careers).Marketers need to bridge three gaps

Trust– most work is about the future e.g. projected revenue. So, bosses and colleagues will always, to a degree, doubt what you say.

Power – a great customer experience involves many departments. Most of the people needed to create it are in other functions and don’t report to marketing.

Skills – marketing tech is constantly evolving. Marketers can’t be across all of it, all the time. It’s a major challenge.

So, what can you do about it?

Mobilise your boss – tackle only big issues that fall into the Value Creation Zone

Side with the revenue camp – deliver returns, no matter what

Hit the head and heart – you can’t mobilise your colleagues if they don’t listen to you. Tell them a real life story that delivers hope; get into their hearts as well as their heads.

Walk the halls – you won’t change the world by sitting at your desk. You have to go out and engage people to make it happen.

You need to show the fire in your eyes to inspire people. To inspire you need to be inspired first.

Ask your colleagues ‘what is the one thing that inspires you most that I am doing?’ Once you have the answer, double the effort in that area.

At the end of the session, Silvia Lagnado, CMO at McDonald's and David Wheldon, CMO, RBS were asked what resonated with them the most from Thomas and Paddy’s session:

"Have passion and inspire people

David Wheldon, CMO, RBS

"peers are a big deal, you need to think of different ways of bringing people along"

Silvia Lagnado, CMO at McDonald's

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