THE IDEA

Digital processes require customer trust. In this digital world, marketing and communication need to accompany customers with confidence.

Vision, communication, perseverance and making the most of opportunities are the essence of entrepreneurial leadership. That’s how successful CMOs manage the transformation of people and companies in a constantly changing environment.

Public companies can also significantly improve how they are perceived with clever marketing, even without a station being cleaner or a bus running more punctually. However, this requires having the courage to take new paths.

Brand communication based on purpose is a must these days – creating ‘beyond purpose identification’ is the icing on the cake.

In an increasingly fragmented world of communication where the background noise is very loud on all channels, only brands with a sophisticated marketing strategy will prevail. The CMO of the Year Award honours industry professionals who have mastered this challenge in an outstanding way.

The mission of good brand management is to constantly imbue the purchasing decision with meaning.

As a representative of BVB, I am delighted to be part of such a renowned jury. For me, but also indirectly for my colleagues, it is an honour to see a growing appreciation for sports marketing in our industry.

CMOs will make a difference if they not only master the ever-changing functional challenges but manage to inject purpose into an organization.

Think with a cool head, act with a hot heart. Lukewarm is boring!

My ethos at work: “It’s your brand, it’s your dream”.

In times when the focus is on digital-first, two truths remain: everything for the customer and the brand makes the difference.

As a tourism group, we have always marketed experiences rather than products. Today this makes us right on trend. I now see further potential in inspiring new, potential guests and retaining our customers in the long term, well beyond their holiday experience.

At the intersection between an increasingly strong visual communication and the almost food-like quality requirements of images and videos.

Do things as simply as possible. But no simpler than that!

Giving a company a face, developing a personality and thereby making the company, its culture and products accessible – that’s what I am passionate about on a daily basis. I, as a CMO, and my team have a direct influence on shaping the profile of a company and making a lasting impression on it. With the increasing fragmentation of communication channels, for me it all comes down to a modern, integrated marketing strategy that consistently pursues a clear target group-oriented goal. I think it’s great to be part of the CMO of the Year Council and to honour colleagues who have successfully met the growing challenges of the past year – with great commitment, fresh ideas and, above all, daring and determination.

In our fast-moving and complex world, trust in the brand is the most important building block in a company’s success.

Brands never go out of fashion. In today’s fast, complex and digital world, they are more important than ever, providing orientation, conveying values and facilitating decisions.

The strength of a brand is not measured by its performance promise, but by its ability to be close to people and evoke emotions.

Brands need strong values to provide orientation, but they have to reinvent themselves almost daily in a dynamic market. That is the biggest challenge for me.

There are challenger brands almost everywhere, except in the energy sector. We’re going to change that.

In a rapidly changing industry, agile working and innovative, digital marketing are the key to success. We get our customers enthusiastic about the brand and make it an experience.

The more complex our challenges in our daily and also strategic work, the more important the interaction with these inspiring and outstanding colleagues.

With Siemens, Siemens Healthineers and, starting in fall, Siemens Energy, three of our companies will be independently listed on the stock exchange, but they will remain united by the power of the Siemens brand.

Progress is always possible - I look forward to exchange and inspiration

Marketing in the automotive sector? Creating emotions and enthusiasm without risking trust. I really enjoy being an “automotive” voice in the CMO Council!

Communication is like football: the truth is always on the pitch. And the spectator is the twelfth man or woman.

Marketing 2018 – for me that is content marketing. Building a theme with content. Making it the talk of the town. With OoH, TV, cinema, social media, radio, print and – once again – radio.

In the future, the CMO’s task will not be to lead the competition between digital marketing and traditional marketing, but to integrate digital and traditional marketing.

The customer is the focus of attention. Hasn’t that always been the case? And yes, marketing is becoming increasingly complex but that’s no reason to panic.

Change starts with ourselves, so creating a radically innovative brand was only the second most difficult task. But one of the best.

To achieve long-term success, strong emotional brand experiences need to form the basis of customer communication, both digitally and in real life.

When I’m at a loss, I ask my dog. He rarely has a solution, but the way he looks at me is so cute.

I really appreciate the extraordinary openness but also confidentiality of the CMO Council. This gives us the opportunity to learn and benefit from one other. It’s also good to get to know other industries from time to time.

In order to position marketing not only as a strategic leader, but also as a driver of value creation, marketing must become an ROI driver within the company.

In the context of digital transformation, CMO also stands for Change of Marketing Organisation, i.e. consistently reviewing the value chain, culture and processes.

Marketing expenses are not costs, but investments. We invest because we believe in the brand.

Emotion, relevance and reach are good ingredients, but it’s only the team who can make the perfect dinner out of them.

The CMO shouldn’t shy away from complexity but they should ensure that their office is located close to the CIO’s.