All roads lead to the ICP

Had some interesting conversations in the past few weeks with a few GTM leaders. Different companies, different conversations, different needs but all were struggling with setting up marketing for success, the role of marketing, how to structure the team, what OKRs to set and what talent is needed.

What I love about marketing is in amongst all the shiny new things (RIP Second Life, SlideShare, Sribd, Twitter, Clubhouse. Hello AI!), the basics never change. All roads always lead to the need to define the Ideal Customer Profile and, more importantly, agree this across all the GTM functions.

With the ICP in place and the business OKRs mapped out, only then can we start to think about the marketing strategies and tactics. Digital? Events? ABM? Field marketing? Partner Marketing? SDR/BDRs etc. (I know, if only life were that simple).

Always, always get the fundamentals right first!

On a separate, but related, note I did a little sketch in thinking this through to myself, took a photo and asked ChatGPT to provide a clearer, more professional graphic. I think we’ll all agree AI hashtag#NailedIt 🤣

AI: 10x the content, 1/10 the meaning (Source : Jeff Allen)

Stop press: B2B Marketer Wins Marketer of The Year!!!

Source: PwC

I know climate change is a scourge of our planet, but has hell frozen over? 😂 A B2B marketer has won the prestigious Marketing Week Marketer of the Year 😳

Testament to how far the industry has come from being the poor relation to B2C marketing. I’ve always said it’s harder to be a B2B marketer 😀

So massive congratulations Antonia Wade. And kudos to the judges for shining a light, quite rightly, on all the good stuff going on not only at PwC but in B2B marketing more widely, hopefully raising the profile of the segment. 👏👏👏

Read more here.

8 Tips on becoming a "Commercial CMO"

There seems to be a lot of chat right now around demonstrating the business impact of marketing (has it ever been any different?!) with the added twist of CMOs becoming “commercial marketers”. I’ve already written about what I think this means but in a recent interview I was asked “What advice would you give to future CMOs on becoming a commercial marketer?”.

For me, the journey involves a combination of strategic career moves, continuous learning, and honing a diverse skill set. So, after some thought, I came up with 8 tips:

1. Master the Fundamentals of Marketing

• Deep Dive into the Basics: Some things never change (part 1). Understanding the core principles of marketing—market research, product positioning, customer segmentation, brand building, and channel management—is essential. Solid knowledge of these fundamentals will be critical as you grow into more senior roles.

2. Embrace Data-Driven Decision Making

• Understand the Metrics: Marketers should develop a strong understanding of KPIs and metrics that matter in marketing—like customer lifetime value (CLV), return on marketing investment (ROMI) and customer acquisition cost (CAC). And put them front & centre in every conversation, presentation and review.

• Learn Analytics Tools: Familiarity with marketing analytics tools (Google Analytics, HubSpot, or any data visualization platforms) will enable you to make informed decisions and demonstrate your impact on the business.

3. Cultivate Cross-Functional Skills

• Financial Acumen: Since CMOs are held accountable for budgets and ROMI, it’s important to understand financial principles. Learning the language of finance will help you align marketing strategies with business objectives.

• Sales Collaboration: Build strong relationships with the sales team. As marketing often works hand-in-hand with sales to drive revenue, understanding sales processes and how marketing supports lead generation and conversion is key.

• Broaden Exposure: Work on cross-functional projects to understand the interconnectedness of marketing with product, technology, and operations teams. Join sales calls, sit in on SDR/BDR activity. A CMO needs to be a business leader, not just a marketing leader.

4. Build a Diverse Marketing Skill Set

• Customer-Centric Mindset: Some things never change (part 2). Always put the customer at the heart of your marketing strategy. Great marketers understand the customer journey and leverage customer insights to create personalised experiences. Speak to customers at events, running surveys and getting involved with writing case studies are easy ways to get started.

• Channel Versatility: Experience across all channels, online and offline is essential. At least know the basics of paid media, how the different social media platforms work, what’s involved in running events, how your business partnerships are structured and the landscape of moden media relations, will allow future CMOs to create integrated marketing strategies.

5. Develop Leadership and Communication Skills

• Learn to Lead Teams: Aspiring CMOs need to cultivate leadership skills early. Seek opportunities to manage projects and lead teams, even if informally. This will help develop decision-making, delegation and motivational skills.

• Effective Communication: A CMO communicates not just within the marketing team but with the entire organization and external stakeholders. Developing excellent written and verbal communication skills is a must. Use AI to brainstorm ideas for written communications, take every opportunity to present your ideas to others. Start with your immediate team if that seems daunting!

6. Be a “Learn-It-All” not a “Know-It-All”

• Be a lifelong learner: Learning never stops. Marketing evolves rapidly. Continuously learning about new marketing trends, tools, and technologies is critical. Read industry reports, attend third party events, and stay active in professional networks. Hire smarter people than you. Learn from them

• Embrace Change: The ability to adapt quickly to market shifts, new technologies, and customer behaviours will distinguish successful marketers from others. Flexibility and innovation are key traits of CMOs. Take a “Growth Mindset” - change your behaviour from seeing changes barriers to opportunities to adapt. It sounds woolly(!) but you need to put in the work!

7. Network and Seek Mentorship

• Find a Mentor: Having a mentor, especially someone in a CMO or leadership role, can be invaluable. A mentor can provide career guidance, help with decision-making and offer insights based on their experience.

• Build a Strong Network: Networking with professionals within and outside the marketing field can open doors to opportunities, provide inspiration and help you stay on top of trends.

8. Be Entrepreneurial

• Own Your Career Growth: CMOs often have an entrepreneurial mindset, always looking for innovative ways to grow the business. Cultivating this mindset—thinking outside the box, taking initiative, and being proactive—can accelerate career growth.

• Take Risks: Junior marketers should not be afraid to step outside their comfort zone and take on challenges. Learning through experiences—both successes and failures—will shape you into resilient and adaptable leaders.

So there we have it. Not exhaustive I’m sure, but hoping it helps!

"How to seize the AI opportunity?"

Enjoyed attending the CogX Festival in London, "How to seize the AI opportunity?" 🤖🌍

AI is truly at the heart of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It’s reshaping everything from operational efficiency to customer experience. But more meaningful use cases outside of "Shrimp Jesus" need to be shared to understand the positive impact of AI. For example, the life sciences industry benefiting in areas like drug discovery and the development of new proteins and compounds. 🧬💡

Here are my 4 key takeaways from the discussions. And of course, it was great to catch up with peers - both old & new!

1. AI is rewriting the rulebook for work: New roles are emerging, but businesses must focus on upskilling employees and setting guardrails to manage AI’s rapid evolution. 🚀 Trust and security are top concerns—especially when it comes to IP, copyright, and privacy. 🔒🧑‍⚖️

2. We need a human-centric approach: To harness AI’s power responsibly, we need clear guidelines, technical documentation, and governance. 📜 Engaging with policy-makers early and considering public priorities alongside private interests are crucial steps for ensuring AI supports democracy and civil liberties. 🏛️🤝

3. Sustainability and infrastructure challenges: AI’s energy consumption is a growing concern. 🌱⚡ Generating just two AI images would drain an iPhone battery, so how are we tackling the environmental impact of AI.

4. From "wow" to "how": Beyond “wow” moments, companies must focus on the “how”—creating roadmaps that make AI integration feasible while addressing environmental impacts and public service delivery. 📊💻

As AI continues to advance, we need to strike a balance between innovation and responsibility. Let’s build a future where technology works for everyone, not just a few. 🌍💪

#AI #FutureOfWork #Sustainability #Innovation #Governance

Purpose is just fluffy marketing talk that doesn't impact the bottom line?

"Purpose is just fluffy marketing talk that doesn't impact the bottom line."

This is a very common misconception in the business world.

If you're an aspiring marketing leader, I urge you not to dismiss the power of purpose in driving growth. Always remember: Purpose and profitability are intrinsically linked.

As Dominic Rodgers from Frog Capital recently said on an episode of the always excellent Unicorny podcast (pithily summarised by Dom Hawes!), "The more you scale your purpose, the more you scale, and the more you scale, the more you scale your purpose."

This symbiotic relationship between purpose and growth isn't just feel-good rhetoric. It's a powerful driver of business success. Here's why:

🧲 Talent Magnet: Purpose attracts top talent, fueling innovation and growth.
🎯 Focus Driver: It keeps your team aligned on what truly matters to customers.
🔗 Brand Builder: Purpose creates deeper connections with your audience.
💡 Innovation Catalyst: It inspires creative solutions to real-world problems.
📈 Long-Term Value: Purpose-driven companies often outperform their peers.

But here's the kicker: Your purpose must be authentic and deeply rooted in your business model. It's not what you'd like it to be. It's about clearly articulating why your business exists and the value it brings to customers. Which is why I've loved getting involved with LettsSafari (building rewilding parks to tackle climate change) and LettsArt (empowering any artist to manage, distribute and sell their art directly, all for free) - two very purpose-driven ventures.

As marketers, our job is to communicate this purpose effectively. It's not a veneer or an afterthought - it should be at the core of everything we do.

So, let's challenge ourselves: How can we better align our marketing efforts with our company's true purpose? And how can we demonstrate the tangible impact of purpose-driven marketing on our bottom line?

Share your thoughts! How has purpose impacted your marketing strategy or business growth? 🚀💬

#PurposeDrivenMarketing #BusinessGrowth #MarketingStrategy

Communicating the commercial value of marketing to the board

Great to drop in to the B2B Ignite Conference in London and participate in the panel on the thorny (!) topic of "Communicating the commercial value of marketing to the board". Wonderful to see such a vibrant event with quality speakers and hundreds of delegates.

And thank you to Joel Harrison for the invite and to Nimmi Bhalla of Virgin Media O2 Business and Graham Wylie of ADP for the great discussion. I really enjoyed and valued all your perspectives.

Here's my takeaways from the conversation:

💡 Size doesn't matter. Whether you're in a multi-national corporate or a high-growth start-up, its essential to position the impact and potential of marketing to any senior business leadership team.

💡 KPI/OKR Alignment. There are many things we can measure in marketing but understand & focus on what the business cares about (typically revenue and margin). Keep the rest "in the family" (e.g. event attendees, ad impressions, MQLs etc). These are important for optimisation, not presentation.

💡 Build a data culture. Once the KPIs are understood, encourage the team to lead every conversation/team meeting with that data. It won't be perfect, but aim for iteration over perfection. This will help to align activities to impact.

💡 Take the emotion out. For once let's take the emotion out of B2B marketing! Centralise data management into an operations team (could be outside of marketing) and stop the debates on whose spreadsheet is correct! Consolidation will result in better tools to support the team in their data journey and ultimately this will drive consistency across the team and in the business.

💡 Promote transparency. Embrace failure and foster a culture of openness and transparency. Recognise both successes (what went right) as well as failures (what we learned).

💡 Share dashboards widely. Make dashboards accessible to all stakeholders (including sales) to encourage open, objective, and constructive discussions. If you can, don't decant results into presentations - share links to live dashboards.

💡 Headlights not rear-view mirror. Finally, in all of this it should be marketing's job to help the business to focus on the right things (brand? product? price?), and being data-driven gives a solid foundation to be the headlights for the business (setting the strategy) not the rear-view mirror (being in service to the business).

In summary - JDI !!! Again, things won't be perfect, and a core skill of any marketing team should be operating on incomplete data. But you need to start. You may not even have targets for some KPIs, in which case set a target to measure and benchmark. From there you can work on improvements as you evolve what good looks like. And of course forums like Propolis can help with understanding industry benchmarks.

Lots more I'm sure I've missed, and we could've gone on for hours!!!

Thanks again to the B2B Marketing team for the invite. It was a blast! 🚀

📷 : Darren Coleman

How AI enables not inhibits creativity

First outing in 6 weeks post-surgery and worth it to see Adobe put on a show. They’re the best in the biz ❤️

✨ No surprise, Gen AI was front and centre but it was refreshing to see AI making that most human of things, creativity, even easier.

🤩 So many admin tasks weigh down the artist, designer and marketer and it was a reminder that AI can be an enabler not an inhibitor. In some ways taking many things out of the way of the creative process.

💡 My own experience with AI, and it seems to be Adobe’s approach too, is that it’s an amazing assistant, but one that always needs human supervision.

💡 One thing is clear - we all need to embed AI into our daily workflow, be that for content, process, editing, creative inspiration or ideation. And not just in “artistic” endeavours. Embrace it!

Now to retreat back home, fire up ChatGPT and rest 😀

#AI #creativity #adobemax #london

AI, Cats In Space Suits and Marketing Productivity

Really enjoyed being part of the Propolis panel discussion "How to use AI to bridge the marketing effectiveness and productivity gap" together with Joel Harrison, Karla Wentworth and Patrick Furse.

You can get the full scoop by joining the Propolis community : https://lnkd.in/ecnmbT32

AI is no doubt both a threat and a lifesaver for B2B marketers, and its interesting to see how the industry reacts to it. My POV is its only a threat if you see it as one. Any new technology is an opportunity :

• today's best film directors started out embracing the video camera revolution

• the most successful content creators took advantage of platforms like YouTube and TikTok

• cultural figures extended their reach via podcasts.

And B2B marketing is no different.

Your choice : disrupt or be disrupted.

As to "productivity challenges" it seems the common theme from a survey of the Propolis community is being overwhelmed. AI is absolutely perfectly placed to help here. B2B marketers can easily use AI to reduce some of most the repetitive tasks, e.g. understanding industry trends, tightening up copy, finding quotes and data points, editing video, writing FAQs. The list goes on. It may not be as fun as generating an image of cat in a spacesuit, but it'll not only start you on the road to understanding AI, but will also help free up your time to do the more important things.

Find out so much more, and whether you're a pirate or in the navy (!), at https://lnkd.in/ecnmbT32

Marketing measurement: The new terms of engagement

Delighted to be a guest on Agent3’s “Agents of Change” podcast.

I had the chance to discuss the pressure on Marketing teams to demonstrate contribution to business pipeline and new customer acquisition.  Such demonstration - or attribution - then calls into question the measures that are typically put in place around Marketing, including the term ‘Marketing sourced.’  Particularly when success is often measured in relation to lead generation.  

The answer, I propose, lies in measurement of engagement with buying units, whether that be net new account buying units, or engagement within existing strategic accounts that opens up opportunities to cross sell and upsell.  Businesses need to move away from an obsession with ‘give me leads’ and instead measure marketing on demonstration of supporting sales and partner team account goals with impactful customer programs and insights.

Thank you Agent3 for having me! Give the episode a listen!

Old tech, new tech : The song remains the same

Another day, another disappointing Virtual Experience. Before we get too excited about AI and the Apple Vision Pro, lets remember we're still struggling to master the old tech.

After spending an inordinate amount of time perfecting my avatar (who knows why for a one hour event) for this virtual "experience", I've just spent a few minutes running around a virtual world "emoting" (i.e. jumping, clapping, cheering) and failing to access any content in what is clearly a business event. What is this, 2003?! Pass me my Linden dollars.

So before racing on to that new shiny thing, let's just get really good at what we have already. I know its not easy but the new tech will not make this any easier.

#marketing #b2bmarketing #innovation