Marketing is in the spotlight. More than 47% of Fortune 1000 companies in the US now have a senior chief marketing officer role, and more than 300 firms - including Oracle and Samsung - have taken it one step further and have a chief customer officer instead to manage and lead all their customer-facing functions.
So with increased emphasis on marketing’s role to create customer value and drive growth, more attention is being paid to the leaders who will make all this happen.
And, naturally, organisations that aspire to be marketing-led want to be sure that they have the right man or woman for the job.
Our research into this area found that there are some common behavioural attributes that tend to be shared by the so-called ‘Five star marketing leaders’:
1. Restless customer obsession
These leaders are constantly challenging and looking to the future as the 'customer advocate'.
They are restless with the status quo and curious about what makes customers tick - and are always looking for new and interesting ways to better meet customer needs and wants.
Fundamentally, they understand that businesses live or die by understanding and reacting to what their customers want.
2. A bold and inspiring vision
Once they have spotted a strategic opportunity, five star marketing leaders translate it into an inspiring future vision for people across the wider business by linking it to and communicating the big commercial picture.
They excite and motivate people with a compelling, customer-focused sense of possibility and as such they have a powerful asset - the ability to galvanise action and get things done that are beyond their reach alone.
The strongest marketing leaders are confident, bold, brave and passionate, willing to fight for what they believe in and to champion the customer’s voice.
Great marketing leaders are not shrinking violets - they’ll fight their corner and stand up for what they believe in.
3. Humility
But while a passionate vision is a powerful starting point, in today’s complex organisations it isn’t enough.
Marketing leaders also need to be humble enough to to appreciate the limitations of their role and the areas where they rely on other functional or geographic experts.
More than ever before, effective corporate team work is a prerequisite for business success and effective marketers need the skills to listen to and engage others in delivering their customer-focused vision.
That means getting other people in the business excited about what marketing can do.
4. Honest
Five star marketing leaders are challenging and lean into issues, but they behave consistently with a spirit of honesty, integrity and humility.
They listen to other people, not just to respond to their views but to understand their concerns and genuinely appreciate the issues and challenges that need to be addressed.
They should also be able to adapt their plans accordingly; there’s no point asking for honest feedback and then ignoring it.
5. Attention to detail
Finally, the most effective marketing leaders are rigorous in their attention to practical and commercial details.
They balance their passion for creative ideas with a rigorous financial and analytical orientation, demonstrate sound commercial judgement and make the right decisions when it matters.
This, perhaps more than anything else, allows them to demonstrate their value - and the value of marketing - to the most contrary board directors.
It’s not easy to find one person with all these attributes. However, good leaders will also understand their strengths and weaknesses and build their senior team accordingly.
With the right person in charge, marketing can (and should) lead organisations into success and prosperity.