What quality is most essential for marketing leaders amid rapid change?

Kellyn Smith Kenny

Chief Marketing & Growth Officer · At&T

Curiosity

Kellyn Smith Kenny says marketing leaders have to come in extraordinarily curious, saying that's where it starts and that a fulsome diagnostic is the first and most important thing.

The answer starts at 9:57.

Jessica Apotheker

Managing Director & Senior Partner · Boston Consulting Group (Bcg)

Skin in the game

Jessica Apotheker says skin in the game—having a stake in clients' success—is critical in today's business; she says she holds herself accountable to at least 5x ROI on her fees.

The answer starts at 15:50.

Karen Spaeth Dvorak

Chief Marketing Officer · Starkey Hearing

Trust

Karen Spaeth Dvorak says trust—with teams and clients—is the essential thing, because leadership is built in small repeated behaviors and without team trust, CMOs can't harness rapid changes.

The answer starts at 40:30.

Vineet Mehra

(NASDAQ: CHYM) Chief Marketing Officer (IPO June’25) · Chime

Obsess over the customer problem

Vineet Mehra recommends marketing leaders get less attached to titles and functions and more obsessed with the growth they need to drive and customer problems they're solving, saying those who do will survive.

The answer starts at 38:34.

Clayton Pritchard

Owner & CEO · Olivine Marketing

Patience

Clayton Pritchard says being patient is the way to go before adding channels, since testing too many spreads spend and delays results, and he sees patience as most people's problem.

The answer starts at 51:39.

Gary Lombardo

Adjunct Professor

Talking to customers

Gary Lombardo says staying agile means talking to customers and thinking like them, hearing firsthand what they're going through, because the market is moving faster than ever.

Katie Miserany

CCO & Global Head of Marketing · SurveyMonkey

Authentic storytelling

Katie Miserany says the importance of brand and storytelling is the marketing hill she would die on, and urges marketers to pick stories they can authentically connect with because those companies will stand out.

The answer starts at 37:41.

Michelle Crossan-Matos

Chief Growth Officer · Sharkninja

Social background

Michelle Crossan-Matos says CMOs of the future come from a social background, because the fastest-growing brands rely on social affiliates and creators.

Getting diverse experiences

Mark Kirkham says people should keep getting different experiences, calling his own additive and the foundation of who he is as a marketer and leader.

The answer starts at 36:42.

Marvin Chow

VP of Consumer and AI Marketing · Google

Growth mindset

Marvin Chow says a growth mindset is important, noting he has had to learn the web, social and AI and that being open to unlearning past methods is valuable as things shift.

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Khurrum Malik

VP of Business & Product Marketing · Walmart Connect

Focus

Khurrum Malik says the biggest threat is an inability to focus because there are ever more tools, channels and strategies, and leaders should focus on what they are trying to accomplish.

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Ronnie Lim

VP, Unilever Food Solutions · Unilever

Saying no

Ronnie Lim says he spends a lot of time saying no to things, because trying to do 100 things means failing at many and being unable to do them all at scale and with speed.

Jordan Slover

Founder · Neon Ambition

Clear success definition

Jordan Slover says the first thing he'd name is that the best marketers are really clear about what success looks like, which lets them ignore everything else—something he says is more true now with fast technological change.

Dawn Dawson

Chief Marketing Officer · Mortgage Solutions Financial

Curiosity

Dawn Dawson says curiosity and being nosy are superpowers and advises not ignoring them, adding that marketers should stay open because what makes great advertising shifts.

Todd Kaplan

Chief Marketing Officer, North America · Kraft Heinz

Creativity conditions

Todd Kaplan says great leaders create the conditions for creativity to thrive, building a culture by bringing cross-functional teams together and reminding marketers why they love the profession, so people can do their best work.

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Jonathan Bottomley

EVP, Chief Marketing Officer Calvin Klein, Group Brand and Consumer Strategy Lead PVH · Calvin Klein

Openness

Jonathan Bottomley says marketing leaders must be very open to and aware of rapid change to stay on top of it, which he sees as an advantage.

Mark Ritson

Founder · Minimba

AI proficiency

Mark Ritson says marketers need to be pretty good with AI, reasoning that AI can build and test hundreds of marketing plans to find the best one.