by Thomas Barta | Aug 20, 2018 | Marketing Leadership
Marketers want a positive, do-good brand purpose but if they do harm before doing good, all integrity will be lost and brand purpose will go straight out the window (from my Marketing Week column). When Ms T entered Auckland’s LynnMall Shopping Centre,...
by Thomas Barta | Jul 24, 2018 | CMO Central
For the most talented global marketers—with clear board potential, applications are now open for the 2019 Fellowship, a (free) 9-month mentoring, coaching and learning programme, I’m leading together with The Marketing Academy and McKinsey. The program, is eared...
by Thomas Barta | Jul 13, 2018 | Interviews
In this Forbes interview with Kristin Kelley, CMO of Randstad North America, several key insights into successful CMO leadership were discussed: Adaptability to Change: Randstad’s ability to adapt to the changing world, driven by technological advancements,...
by Thomas Barta | Jun 19, 2018 | Marketing Leadership
Agencies, like brands, need consistency. Agencies used to have access to the C-suite within brands but that’s no longer the case. It’s time for agency leaders to step up and rebuild agency C-suite relevance again (from my Marketing Week column). David...
by Thomas Barta | May 29, 2018 | Marketing Leadership
Facebook’s current data woes point to a bigger challenge: leaders must stop delegating responsibility and take charge of marketing communication again. Communication could be marketer’s most powerful tool. But it’s complicated. Facebook is plagued by questions...
by Thomas Barta | Apr 13, 2018 | Marketing Leadership
The recent #MeToo campaign is a reminder of the important role we all have as leaders: building confidence. Tarana Burke has a point. When the #MeToo campaign brought her own long-standing sexual abuse movement back into the spotlight, uman rights activistBurke said:...
by Thomas Barta | Mar 22, 2018 | Marketing Leadership
When marketers fail, both they and their organizations suffer. Yet many marketing officers still haven’t built the key foundation for success: alignment with the CEO. That’s perplexing. This should be marketing’s golden age. Social media, smart...
by Thomas Barta | Mar 13, 2018 | Marketing Leadership
Have you ever experienced reduced budgets, a loss of career momentum, or a lack of traction in your company? If so, you could be at risk of a serious career disease (from my Marketing Week column). Take the time to familiarise yourself with the symptoms...
by Thomas Barta | Feb 27, 2018 | Essential reading, Marketing Leadership
Strong team leadership isn’t enough. New research shows that, for success, leaders must also excel at managing upwards (boss) and sideways (colleagues.) Most of the leadership advice aimed at senior functional managers is how to build, align, energize, and...
by Thomas Barta | Feb 6, 2018 | Marketing Leadership
What a Super Bowl night! In the end, it was a hard-fought victory for the Eagles. Off the field, another battle raged on between Budweiser, Coke, Kia, Pepsi, Squarespace, P&G, and many others: the nation’s top brands fought for customers’ attention. But after the...
by Thomas Barta | Feb 4, 2018 | Marketing Leadership
Success in a customer-facing role is all about mobilizing two groups of people that most leaders overlook: their bosses and their colleagues (from my Marketing Week column). Leadership. If there were a prize for the world’s most overused word, I’d give...
by Thomas Barta | Jan 29, 2018 | Interviews
In this Forbes CMO leadership interview, I explored the secrets of successful marketing leadership with Arnd Pickhardt, former CMO of Lidl and winner of the ‘Visionary Marketer of the Year’ award. Arnd highlighted the unique power of a CMO to quickly...
by Thomas Barta | Jan 22, 2018 | Marketing Leadership
The digital future is bright—the future is complex. And it nags on executives’ confidence. The new currency of expertise is having an overview. Technology has penetrated almost every corner of the business. For the most part, that’s great news. What do customers want?...
by Thomas Barta | Jan 5, 2018 | Marketing Leadership
The best marketers are masters of branding, pricing and communication. But pulling off a great marketing career is a whole other story. “Let’s talk about your career.” If you ever want to stop a marketer in his or her tracks, try this sentence. Marketers aren’t...
by Thomas Barta | Jan 5, 2018 | Marketing Leadership
Unless executives step up and take the lead, great customer experiences will remain a corporate fantasy. Looking for buzzword bin go ideas? Just listen to virtually any CEO speech on customer experience (CEX). Although there has never been more CEX talk, the...
by Thomas Barta | Dec 19, 2017 | Tools & Workshops
CMO coaching: step up, break the silos, make growth happen Each year, I personally coach a select groups of international CMOs and change leaders to help them: Become a more effective CMO: CMO coaching to help you raise your game inside the organization,...
by Thomas Barta | Dec 15, 2017 | Marketing Leadership
Many executives are keen to inspire customers. But to actualize great customer experiences, inspiring the organisation may just be as important. When I’m not speaking at conferences, I sometimes teach masterclasses to help marketers raise their boardroom profile. Not...
by Thomas Barta | Dec 15, 2017 | Marketing Leadership
The best marketing strategy will go nowhere if leaders can’t convince colleagues about the right course of action. Some time ago, a CMO asked me to assess his global team’s capabilities. After two years and a six-figure training investment, marketing – in the eyes of...
by Thomas Barta | Nov 28, 2017 | Marketing Leadership
Too many executives ask for promotion based on tenure or their employer’s generosity. A better approach is to help solve a real company problem. Not long ago, I spoke at a large international technology conference. The hall was crowded, full of tech-savvy marketers....
by Thomas Barta | Nov 11, 2017 | Marketing Leadership
How to mobilize colleagues for large-scale change—especially if that change might be seen as unpopular? Use your secret weapon: “Listen, Decide, Communicate” or “LDC”.Let’s examine each step of LDC separately. Listen First, seek out the key...
