by Thomas Barta | Mar 28, 2019 | Marketing Leadership
Brave leaders change the world. Air traffic controller Anthonius Gunawan saved the 160 souls on board Batik Air 6231, by staying in the tower, so the plane could escape minutes before the earthquake struck. Berta Cáceres led the protests that stopped the Honduras Agua...
by Thomas Barta | Mar 22, 2019 | Marketing Leadership
You are in the business of change. In fact, we are all in the business of change. We try to get customers to accept our offer. We try to get colleagues to support our cause. We try to get friends to join our Saturday dinner. Making change happen is what most of us do,...
by Thomas Barta | Mar 14, 2019 | Marketing Leadership
Can you ‘feel’ a brand? Can you ‘sense’ what customers want? Did you ever think ‘I’m different from the other people in my firm’? You may not be alone. Many marketers are more sensual, more emotional than their colleagues. And if you are, life in firms can be rather...
by Thomas Barta | Mar 7, 2019 | Marketing Leadership
Hard work is appreciated. Or so people hope. That’s why they put in the long hours, go the extra mile, give their best. But then, things go nowhere. The big meeting gets cancelled, budgets get cut, friendly voices disappear. Working hard is commendable, but it’s just...
by Thomas Barta | Feb 28, 2019 | Marketing Leadership
Why is the finance department so powerful? Does it bring in clients? No. Does it invent new products? No. Does it produce revenue? No. In fact, to every business, the finance team is a cost. Still, it has the CEO’s ear. Why? Because finance leaders create something...
by Thomas Barta | Feb 21, 2019 | Marketing Leadership
“Hello Lucas, your dad told me you want to be a goalkeeper? Good lad. We always need good goalkeepers. Here’s some advice from me. First of all, you have to work hard. Being a goalkeeper is not easy. But the more you play… your eyes will get better at spotting the...
by Thomas Barta | Feb 14, 2019 | Marketing Leadership
Bean counters love long-term contracts. A customer signs and the revenue is secure for three months, six months, twelve months. If the customer forgets to cancel, more cash rolls in. It’s tempting to make leaving hard for them. Everyone hates to feel trapped. Someone...
by Thomas Barta | Feb 11, 2019 | Marketing Leadership
“No one on the planet knows how to build a computer mouse,” author Matt Ridley once said. There’s just too much to know, too much to learn. Success today is all about teamwork. Yet, the average team achieves only 63% of their strategic objectives, according to Harvard...
by Thomas Barta | Jan 31, 2019 | Marketing Leadership
We’ve all sat there, in the middle seat, at the back of the plane. Where it’s cramped. Where it’s noisy. Where drinks get served last. Not all seats can be golden. In every firm, some customers get what’s left: the bistro table by the door, the room without a view,...
by Thomas Barta | Jan 24, 2019 | Marketing Leadership
Sheryl Sandberg has a point. In her book ‘Lean In’, Facebook’s current COO asks women, “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” Sandberg is a public role model. Her book has empowered millions of women to step up. To seek and speak the truth. To claim their seat at...
by Thomas Barta | Jan 18, 2019 | Marketing Leadership
“What’s the point of the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)?” I asked Marketing Week readers that question. Why? Well, here is a baffling paradox: Each day, the world’s marketers create billions of cash dollars. Baileys, the Irish cream liqueur, has just had a record year....
by Thomas Barta | Jan 10, 2019 | Marketing Leadership
A Scandinavian airline asked people how travel changed their lives. Three things stood out: More knowledge. This one is obvious. Your own silo looks different from the outside. Other silos look different from the inside. There’s plenty to learn when you travel. New...
by Thomas Barta | Jan 3, 2019 | Marketing Leadership
Elvis didn’t invent rock ‘n’ roll. Steve Jobs didn’t invent the smartphone.* Google didn’t invent web search. All three took an idea, twisted it, made it better—and changed the world. People love out-of-the-box ideas. But they pay for what’s...
by Thomas Barta | Dec 27, 2018 | Marketing Leadership
Change leaders know how to bridge gaps. Gaps in technology. Gaps in belief. Gaps caused by fear. Supporters build your confidence. They love your idea—and perhaps even you. They are happy to follow. They are your energy source. Everybody in the business of change...
by Thomas Barta | Dec 7, 2018 | Marketing Leadership
I’ve got good news. Until December 1st, our publisher, McGraw-Hill and 800-CEO-READ offer a 40% bulk discount for our marketing leadership book The 12 Powers of a Marketing Leader. Here’s the deal: for 25+...
by Thomas Barta | Nov 28, 2018 | Interviews
In this interview, I spoke with Yukiko Yamaguchi, the global CMO of Panasonic’s Connected Solutions Company, to explore the practical secrets of CMO leadership. Here are the key ideas. Read the full interview here. Overcoming Challenges: Yukiko, as a woman in a...
by Thomas Barta | Nov 5, 2018 | Marketing Leadership
To fix marketing’s perception problem, marketers must overcome the fear of forecast, measure what matters, and make selling a purpose again. A couple of days ago, a friend complained over dinner: “Our profession’s reputation is in tatters. People once respected my job...
by Thomas Barta | Oct 29, 2018 | Marketing Leadership
Many leaders still spend most of their time in the office, but the most important part of their role – creating organizational change – requires face-to-face contact with those outside their department. I’m writing this column from home. Five years ago, we converted...
by Thomas Barta | Oct 27, 2018 | Marketing Leadership
Want to lure the world’s best talent into marketing? We need to step up the profession’s standing first. Dear chief marketing officers, the marketing brand isn’t doing well. Latest news: you are losing market share in a key target group – talent. A survey by Marketing...
by Thomas Barta | Oct 4, 2018 | Interviews
In this Forbes interview with Alicia Tillman, CMO of SAP, on key insights into successful CMO leadership were discussed: Work-Life Balance: Alicia emphasized the importance of taking time off for self-reflection and rejuvenation despite the challenges of being a CMO...
