3Develop<strong>in</strong>gcustomer-led modelsus<strong>in</strong>g real-time data.“It’s amaz<strong>in</strong>g whatcan be learned [bycaptur<strong>in</strong>g data totrack]... exactly thesteps that consumerstake along the customerjourney. This implies big<strong>in</strong>vestment <strong>in</strong> complextechnology andseamless <strong>in</strong>teractionbetween the CMOand CIO...With greaterphilosophical alignmentbetween the CMO andCIO, technology turns<strong>in</strong>to a weapon—<strong>in</strong>steadof a cost.”A deeper relationship between CMOs and CIOs has evolved with asense of urgency to harness the power of digital technology to drivecustomer-centric bus<strong>in</strong>ess solutions. “Mutual needs drive acceleratedcollaboration,” said Hubertus (Huub) Devroye, global director ofmarket<strong>in</strong>g & demand generation, The Dow Chemical Company.One of the benefits of seamless market<strong>in</strong>g-technology collaborationis an enhanced ability to create customer-centric solutions us<strong>in</strong>g ahigh level of analytics and more granular segmentation that is wellbeyond traditional customer relationship management (CRM). “It’snot just about mak<strong>in</strong>g contact; you also need to foster emotion andcont<strong>in</strong>uous dialogue <strong>in</strong> that contact,” said Alfredo Gangotena, CMOof Sotheby’s. For example, Sotheby’s bus<strong>in</strong>ess of match<strong>in</strong>g potentialcustomers with unique works of art requires “a multi-faceted CRMsystem ... IT needs to enable this, and market<strong>in</strong>g needs to operate it.”— David Rub<strong>in</strong>head of brand,P<strong>in</strong>terest
DRIVING CHANGE IN A DIGITALLY TRANSFORMED WORLD4The <strong>in</strong>tegrated‘hybrid’ team.Creat<strong>in</strong>g cross-functional fluency starts with awareness andeducation. The CIO and the IT team educate market<strong>in</strong>g aboutwhat’s possible by us<strong>in</strong>g technology tools, data, and analyticsthat can create more <strong>in</strong>teractive and targeted market<strong>in</strong>g to drivehigher customer engagement and retention. The CMO and themarket<strong>in</strong>g team help IT understand the bus<strong>in</strong>ess value of hav<strong>in</strong>gthe right data, as well as greater market expectations for speed,transparency, and personalization. Each side br<strong>in</strong>gs out the best<strong>in</strong> the other, with mutual strengths and complementary skills thatovercome weaknesses. “IT appreciates market<strong>in</strong>g’s know-how andunderstand<strong>in</strong>g of the customer, while market<strong>in</strong>g appreciates IT’s<strong>in</strong>novativeness and capability to translate customer requirements <strong>in</strong>toeffective and efficient solutions,” said Robert Blackburn, president,chief supply cha<strong>in</strong> officer, and group CIO, BASF SE.“Market<strong>in</strong>g br<strong>in</strong>gs the voice of the consumer and trade, and pushesthe need for speed and flexibility, and avoidance of big one-sizefits-allsolutions,” added Jean-Marc Levy, former CMO of BritishAmerican Tobacco. “IT br<strong>in</strong>gs skills <strong>in</strong> project management, discipl<strong>in</strong>e,alignment, avoidance of duplication, clear processes, and strategic‘cleanl<strong>in</strong>ess.’ ”Creat<strong>in</strong>g the customer experiences of tomorrow will require an evendeeper level of team partnership than ever before. “We found thatsomeone <strong>in</strong> IT needed to be <strong>in</strong>cluded <strong>in</strong> market<strong>in</strong>g discussions tomake sure what was be<strong>in</strong>g asked for could be delivered, and we’reabout to put a marketer <strong>in</strong> the IT function—someone who has greattechnical acumen but also understands ... the consumer perspective,”said Eric Lent, CMO and chief technology officer (CTO) of HerschendFamily Enterta<strong>in</strong>ment.Through closer affiliation, market<strong>in</strong>g and IT jo<strong>in</strong>tly project the voiceof the customer <strong>in</strong>to the organization. Together they “speak” withthe authority of customer data to illustrate how to positively impactcustomer experiences. As a result, f<strong>in</strong>ancial and technical resourcescan be more readily committed <strong>in</strong> support of strategic imperatives.Hybrid teams are most effective when they are formed to achievespecific, challeng<strong>in</strong>g objectives. This k<strong>in</strong>d of enhanced collaborationhappens when teams are given the mandate to operate beyond thenarrow scope of their respective functions and technical expertiseand focus on bigger goals l<strong>in</strong>ked to enterprise-wide outcomes.
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