As we have spoken to CMOs throughout 2020, a year that has massively altered the marketing industry and forced executives to adapt to shifting customer needs, we’ve asked them about the trends that marketers should be paying attention to right now and in the coming year. Here are the aspects of marketing that CMOs from Cigna, First Entertainment Credit Union and Papa Murphy’s believe marketers should be focusing on today.
First Entertainment Credit Union CMO Amondo Redmond:
“One of the things that I’ve learned as a CMO is to not only be worried about the external brand, but also the experience of a person that you are bringing into your brand. That is a very hot topic for me right now. I’m doing all this work to bring in new members, but as I look at the overall experience of that member, in terms of how did they come into the credit union, where did we take them, what type of product did we offer them, how are we communicating with them—it’s very important.
I will tell you that in years past, we were much more focused on our external branding and making sure that we were getting people in the door. I think at this point it’s not good enough, because people have choices. [If we don’t give them] experiences, and new product offerings and advertising that speaks to their lifestyle, we will lose them just as fast as we got them. That would be where my mind is—not only looking at the external branding, but making sure that the overall experience for that person you’re bringing in the door is equally as great as how you brought them in the door.”
Kristen Lauria, EVP and Global Chief Marketing Officer at Cigna:
“Every brand, whether it’s B2B or B2C, has to resonate with the consumer marketplace. Ours is B2B, and our clients are the members. But I think that every marketer has to understand, does your brand and your brand platform resonate with the customer and with the marketplace itself? The second thing is the data and analytics. In a world that’s virtual, we have to deeply understand what the analytics are telling us. We have to understand how that feeds into what we do as marketers.
The third thing is that need to be a driving force in marketing, because as we look at the data and analytics to help us design what we design in marketing, we also need to make sure that we have a loop fully closed and make sure that the metrics are there as we launch our marketing efforts to feed back into our products and solutions. The longer this virtual world goes on, the more there is a need for data on how brands resonate in the market. Every marketer needs to think about B2B and B2C—regardless of the type of brand that you’re developing. More simply stated, understand the impact of the brand on the consumer and the individual.”
Kim McBee, Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of Customer Experience for Papa Murphy’s
“The changing social media aspect. Because you can be agile and turn on a dime with social, make sure that it is a foundational tactic in your overall marketing plan. But make it right. There are so many different social channels, but the ability—and we found this with the pandemic—to be able to get a message out there to show you care, whatever the case may be, you need to use it to your advantage.
With franchising and regionality of brands, one size doesn’t fit all. Social allows you to be able to segment your customers. You need to be smart about making sure you’re not showing a winter background if you have stores in Arizona. Make sure that you’re pinpointing and targeting, because in today’s day and age and the tools that we have available, you don’t have an excuse if you’re not being really smart about your audience.”
Network
