My journey into marketing started in retail operations, and then into general management. 

I like to think I moved up the corporate ladder because I was seen as someone who 'made things happen'. 

I was one of those irritating guys who didn't just see a brick wall and stare at it, I looked at all the possibilities available for me and my team to go around it, and along the way we helped to 'transform' the companies we worked with, and for.

We are people who see the bigger picture. We've had plenty of business exposure, and gained experience across all aspects of an enterprise. If you combine this with exposure in different markets and business sectors you will no doubt have the makings of a strong 'change maker'.

I have always been fascinated with the conundrum around 'why' we would choose one brand/service over another.

Sure we want to get our message across ahead of any competitor, but we are the people whose role it is to 'motivate' not just our internal teams, but to motivate our existing, and potential customers into looking at us before they look elsewhere.

We are the people who look to see how others can disrupt what we do, way ahead of that disruption taking place, and seek to align the business in that thinking. 

How to get in front of (and recruit) the right customers is a big question all companies continually ask of their marketing teams, who in turn pre-Covid then asked the same question of their agency. 

Given that paid media can give you a quick short term spike I wonder why lots of companies still opt for 'paid' media advertising as the default tactic, especially with a 50% - 70% fraud rate and a 97% failure rate built into the model.

But in a world where the traditional media landscape for marketeers is shrinking daily is it sustainable?

Once your ads are live and the money is paid to Google, that budget is gone. But let’s say that you get loyal customers, subscribers, and gave your brand a much-needed exposure. Is it worth the one-time expense, no? 

Here's the catch. You will need the same budget next month to attract more customers. The value that you get from this expense is limited.

However, if you would have invested that same amount of money in search engine optimization and content marketing, you would have earned something far more valuable. 

'Earned' media is just that, you've invested time and effort in building a relationship with your tribe by providing what they perceive as valuable content, and for many you've also given them the opportunity to get involved with a conversation with you as a result of that content. 

As such you have started to 'earn' that relationship with them, which requires you to continue to nurture and build, not recruit and forget. 

All of which shows that your a listening brand, and not just interested in a quick buck from me.

For innovation and transformation to really take place in the ever changing technical and digital landscape requires both tactics (paid and earned) to work in a symbiotic manner. 

The rapid change in social networks and people's interactions across these platforms are already having huge impact on all kinds of businesses, so now's the time to stop marketing like it's 2019.

Findings suggest that today's CMOs will have to adapt even more to hold onto their positions.

Most marketers realize that traditional experiences are no longer enough to satisfy consumers, which is opening opportunities for CMOs to embrace the role of "CMO Collaborator" and look beyond typical brand advertising and communications, per an Accenture Interactive report. 

A "CMO Collaborator" is defined as a CMO who encourages teams to work across the company, fostering a culture of collaboration and ensuring that brand vision and customer experience align.