“The trap that many mid-level marketeers fall into is [asking], what's the work that my boss wants, or my CEO wants? Or my CFO wants? They're important stakeholders, but your ultimate stakeholder is the consumer. And the work wins. So if you do fabulous things that are insightful and thoughtful and engaging, that will accelerate your career because that will accelerate business growth. Manage the work—rather than the other C-suite leaders.”

--Heineken USA CMO Jonnie Cahill

While discussing Dos Equis’ college football tailgate campaign with Heineken CMO Jonnie Cahill recently, we took a moment to record his thoughts on career-building for aspiring chief marketers—including the advice cited above—and what makes a successful CMO in today’s highly-competitive business environment. Enjoy his words of wisdom here.

For many in the retail industry, RFP season is taking hold. And with tight budgets and tough goals, marketers are hoping to get more bang for their buck. If you’re not adept at the RFP process, however, that can be a recipe for disappointment. Brands need to ask the right questions to find the right partners. Start with clear use cases for stakeholders, a list of key requirements, KPIs to weigh them by and a focus on the quality of the potential partnership.

2024 will be the year of hyper-compliance, writes our columnist, from data usage to email authentication and beyond. Here are several strategies for navigating this new landscape, including preparing for gmail changes, ensuring personal data compliance and boosting open rates.

Lastly, as you get ready for the Big Game next weekend (both personally and professionally), Super Bowl ads will draw millions of eyeballs pre-, during- and post-game. Charles R. Taylor, professor of marketing at the Villanova School of Business, outlines his expectations and industry insights on this year’s spots.

Until next week,

Kaylee Hultgren
Editor
Chief Marketer

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