“The next CMO is going to come NOT from a television or radio background, but rather from a digital media background”
The man speaking was a senior leader from one of the largest companies in the world. Their marketing budget was more than four billion dollars. And his statement, though simple enough, had profound implications. The world was changing.
Indeed, his world was about to change radically. Over the next 24 months, he would transform the digital division of his business, shifting the Web from its role as an “important channel” to a central dynamic of the entire business ecosystem. The Web would become a living laboratory through which the company would experiment their way into a more profound understanding of the customer.
In the process, revenue from ecommerce would more than double, with vital product groups growing by more than 300%. All the while, this leader would gain in stature, not just from the remarkable financial results he would produce, but from the remarkable customer insightshe would garner.
Moreover, the executive team would acknowledge this remarkable achievement with two tangible actions: First, they would promote him, publicly recognizing his success at a major meeting in London. Second (and perhaps more meaningful), they would triple his division’s head-count, empowering him with the personnel needed to sustain his success.
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