Episode 104 / Vodafone Business / Iris Meijer / Global CMO / CMOs Having a Seat at the Table
Why Marketers Need to Get Better at Marketing Themselves and Drive Decision-Making in the Boardroom
Iris Meijer is the CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) of Vodafone Business, having had a long career in IT and telecommunications that started with Nokia. Her Shiny New Object is CMOs having a seat in the boardroom, empowering marketers to take part in the most important strategic decisions for a brand and allowing them to show the return on investment of marketing initiatives.
Iris is a firm believer in the importance of good marketing at the start of the product development process, as well as throughout it. This ties in with her belief in using data correctly to harness the power of technology in line with a brand’s purpose. In fact, one of the worst pieces of advice she’s heard revolves around the idea that technology is now in control and brands follow data mindlessly. Instead, Iris thinks that brands need to listen to marketers who can interpret the data and transform its insights into actions.
Today, brands are so focused on data that they forget about creativity. This is another area where marketing is important: getting the right combination of human creativity and data-driven insights and performance. We have a wealth of data at our disposal, and we need to follow one of the lessons that Iris learnt early in her career: “Take a step back, understand the market and listen to your customers.”
This lesson goes back to a time when Iris was working in a start-up and a much anticipated product launch failed because, although the idea was great, it didn’t generate the necessary demand. This sort of scenario is what happens when marketers don’t do their jobs right and when they aren’t given a spot at the decision-making table. For her Shiny New Object, Iris stressed the importance of marketers having more confidence in their insights and getting involved in the customer journey and product development process from the start.
Research shows that only 5% of marketers have the confidence that they can influence the direction of the business they work for. However, providing the right marketing insight at the correct time can make a real difference in the success of a company. Additionally, Iris believes that marketers need to have more confidence in showing the return on investment of good marketing. Having the right KPIs in place will show the board that there is a direct link to revenues for marketing initiatives.
To find out more about Iris’ advice for marketers, her views on the time it takes to get results for brands and how she motivates and coaches her team, listen to the podcast.
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