What Every CEO Needs to Know about Digital Marketing. (November 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: O'Connor, Brian
• Is Part Of: Journal of creating value. Volume 1:Number 2(2015)
• Page Start: 214
• Page End: 220
• Publication Date: 2015-11
• Subjects: Marketing -- digital marketing -- marketing effectiveness -- CEO -- purchase intent; Customer services -- Periodicals; Customer relations -- Management -- Periodicals; Consumer satisfaction -- Periodicals; 658.812
• DOI: 10.1177/2394964315569641
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2394-9643

Abstract

Abstract: During the last five years marketing underwent a sea change. It adopted more tools, applications and data than ever before. It is not unusual to see marketing teams use 70 software applications and publish hundreds of messages daily. By their nature, digital marketers interact with millions of customers and prospects daily. Their work shapes customers' and prospects' perceptions of your products and services. In the Internet era, they are your frontline employees. But recent studies point to a troubling gap: digital marketers believe their companies are only 34 per cent proficient (effective) at digital marketing. Which chief executive officer (CEO) would want efficiency if that creates a frontline function that, by its own account, is effective less than 50 per cent of the time? Just like a CEO would work with their service, sales or manufacturing functions to improve effectiveness, they must also work with their chief marketing officer (CMO's) to improve digital marketing's effectiveness. To do this, a CEO must understand digital marketing's levers, what does a best-in-class organization do and the steps their organization can take to become more effective.