Marketing is perpetually in a state of transformation. And each evolutionary step seems profound in its moment. But there is something different about the moment we are in now.
In a marketing career that spans nearly forty years, I have seen it all. I cut my teeth in the analog years at Procter & Gamble and Quaker Oats marketing human and pet food, rode the tech wave bringing the PalmPilot to the newly mobile world, and helped grow and scale SonicWALL network security to become part of Dell. And now, in my latest CMO challenge, first in fintech with Yodlee and its financial data aggregation, and now in martech with ON24 and AI-powered customer engagement technology, I sense that there is more at stake.
This is different.
It’s impossible to overstate the profound moment of transformation that marketing is going through right now. From the evolution of digital technologies to the emergence of machine learning, automation, predictive analytics, and the world-altering power of AI; everything is changing. And the transformation is happening at the speed of light.
At ON24, we have an insider’s view of many of the most successful brands, across every major industry, around the world. As a leading first-party customer engagement solution, we work closely with industry-leading marketing organizations and leadership teams and we see their challenges, and partner with them as they adapt, adjust and re-imagine their strategies to meet this new reality.
And while there are plenty of discussions about how the various emerging technologies affect the mechanics of marketing, I have observed first-hand how challenging this period has been for CMO’s and other marketing executives. AI and digital transformation, dispersed workforces, macro-economic shifting winds, constant budget instability, and dramatic changes in customer behaviors and expectations, all have made being a marketing executive a particularly challenging endeavor.
Building a modern marketing organization means more than simply embracing new technologies, it means re-imagining the very nature of how teams are built, strategies are ideated, and programs are designed, executed and measured. Modernizing marketing means re-thinking everything, and that starts in the corner office.
This newsletter will reflect the changes that we are observing across the marketing landscape. We will share perspectives, ideas, and strategies that will challenge the status quo and hopefully drive a productive dialogue for CMO’s, other marketing executives and industry leaders as we all propel forward together.
We look forward to a great conversation.
David Lee | CMO, ON24
