CMO Corner

Coverage of industry leaders from our journalists

  • A worker leaves a darkened boardroom after a meeting
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    Thai Liang Lim via Getty Images
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    How CMOs can get out of ‘no man’s land’ and on the same page as CEOs

    Boathouse CEO John Connors examines the agency’s fourth annual study of the CEO’s perspective on marketing and the role of the CMO.

    By • March 24, 2025
  • A man in Puma gear runs with a dog with a mountain in the background
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    Courtesy of Puma
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    Inside Puma’s new brand positioning and largest global campaign to date

    The sportswear company will increase marketing investments by 40% in support of a campaign, “Go Wild,” that was created by Adam&eveDDB.

    By • March 20, 2025
  • A crowd gathers at a bar in a DraftKings ad
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    Courtesy of DraftKings
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    DraftKings sings along to ‘The Gambler’ in responsible gaming push

    The gambling company’s multimillion-dollar effort pairs a Kenny Rogers classic with branding support from the NFL, NBA and the PGA Tour.

    By • March 14, 2025
  • NWSL billboard in Times Square
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    Permission granted by NWSL
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    Q&A

    How the National Women’s Soccer League embraces its challenger brand DNA

    A Gen Z-centered content partnership with Overtime speaks to how sports content and social media are becoming a potent pairing for marketers.

    By • March 14, 2025
  • Morgan Stanley at the Players Championship
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    Permission granted by Morgan Stanley
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    Q&A

    Morgan Stanley’s CMO on bringing brand purpose to life through sports

    The exec details a deal with basketball league Unrivaled and shares lessons learned from the brand’s 10 years at the PGA’s Players Championship.

    By • March 13, 2025
  • Jaguar
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    Courtesy of Jaguar
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    Marketing leaders share how consumer backlash strengthened their brands

    Speaking at a Female Quotient event during SXSW, Jaguar Land Rover’s U.S. CMO discussed navigating the response to a recent rebrand.

    By • March 13, 2025
  • Defocussed shot of a team of businesspeople attending a meeting in a boardroom.
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    PeopleImages via Getty Images
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    CMO role paves path to bigger leadership appointments: Spencer Stuart

    Nearly two-thirds of CMOs who left their jobs were either promoted internally or moved onto a similar or higher role at a different brand.

    By • March 12, 2025
  • Jake from State Farm in front of the Bat Signal
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    Courtesy of State Farm
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    Q&A

    How State Farm pivoted its Super Bowl ad to March Madness and beyond

    The insurer and agency Highdive developed a Batman-powered campaign that was originally meant to kick off during the big game.

    By • March 11, 2025
  • Campaign imagery for Selena Gomez-owned Rare Beauty's first-ever brand campaign, "Every Side of You."
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    Courtesy of Fred & Farid Los Angeles
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    Rare Beauty CMO on winning Gen Z through community-oriented marketing

    The brand spent years building up its social media fandom before launching a major ad campaign, CMO Katie Welch said at SXSW.

    By • March 11, 2025
  • DSW store
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    Retrieved from DSW on February 26, 2025
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    How DSW’s CMO is overhauling the brand for a new age of retail

    Sarah Crockett detailed her approach to rehabilitating the brand during a keynote presentation at the eTail Palm Springs conference.

    By • Feb. 28, 2025
  • A sign that reads "try love buy" in front of a range of beauty displays at an Ulta Beauty shop-in-shop inside of a Target.
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    Cara Salpini/Marketing Dive
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    Ulta taps company vet for chief marketer role

    Company veteran Kelly Mahoney will lead the beauty retailer’s brand marketing strategy, innovation, customer engagement and growth.

    By Cara Salpini • Feb. 27, 2025
  • A basketball player cuts down the net in a Powerade ad
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    Courtesy of Powerade
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    How Powerade’s March Madness campaign takes aim at Gatorade

    CMO Tom Gargiulo explains how “It Takes More To Get This Far” seeks to build on the Coca-Cola brand’s recent momentum.

    By • Feb. 25, 2025
  • Apps for generative AI tools, including ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot, are pictured on an Apple iPhone on Aug. 22, 2024 in Toronto, Canada.
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    Kenneth Cheung via Getty Images
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    27% of CMOs remain reluctant to adopt generative AI: Gartner

    A similar share of those surveyed see little to no benefit from the technology when it comes to cost reduction, customer service and scalability.

    By • Feb. 19, 2025
  • A line of people form outside of Welch's Zero Bodega pop-up experience in New York City
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    Permission granted by Welch's
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    Q&A

    Welch’s CMO on shaking off staid marketing, embracing experiential

    Scott Utke, who says Welch’s previously underspent on marketing, has led an ambitious rebrand and is in the midst of retooling its agency roster. 

    By • Feb. 12, 2025
  • Top view of businesspeople discuss idea while team joining meeting
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    NanoStockk via Getty Images
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    Inside the marketing industry trends to follow in 2025

    During what could be a banner year, a focus on generative AI and the connected TV-retail media convergence key into where the industry is headed.

    By Marketing Dive staff • Jan. 31, 2025
  • Doechii sits for an MLS ad
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    Courtesy of MLS
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    Q&A

    Why MLS is kicking off a brand campaign around the Super Bowl

    CMO Radhika Duggal detailed the strategy behind the league’s “Game On” effort starring rapper Doechii that will premiere before the big game.

    By • Jan. 30, 2025
  • An image of a white building with yellow signage that says McDonald's
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    McDonald’s chief marketer steps down, company veteran steps into role

    Tariq Hassan will stay on to support the transition as Alyssa Buetikofer, CMO for the brand in Canada, returns to the U.S. business on Feb. 15.

    By • Jan. 28, 2025
  • Kimberly-Clark brand names displayed on banner in NYC
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    The image by Marco Verch is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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    Kimberly-Clark appoints first global chief creative and design officer

    AlmapBBDO veteran Luiz Sanches joins the CPG giant, which no longer has a traditional CMO role and recently reorganized its agency roster.

    By • Jan. 27, 2025
  • uncrustables smucker
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    Courtesy of The J.M. Smucker Co.
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    Q&A

    J.M. Smucker’s CMO on how brands must face the challenges of 2025

    Gail Hollander discusses the convergence of brand building and pop culture and how marketers should think about retail media, AI and other emerging tech.

    By • Jan. 27, 2025
  • Sabrina Carpenter appears in a Dunkin ad
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    Courtesy of Dunkin'
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    Q&A

    Dunkin’ CMO on building a ‘cinematic universe’ to capture attention

    Jill McVicar Nelson explains what the brand has learned from its Super Bowl ads and how it’s facing uneasiness around TikTok’s future.

    By • Jan. 22, 2025
  • Participants holding signs in support of TikTok outside the U.S. Capitol Building.
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    Anna Moneymaker / Staff via Getty Images
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    Deep Dive

    How marketers can stay reactive as a TikTok ban looms

    Contingency plans are coming into focus as the Supreme Court weighs a decision that could ban the ByteDance-owned app in the U.S. on Sunday.

    By • Jan. 16, 2025
  • Actor Keegan-Michael Key pours a cocktail at a Cambria Hotels bar in a marketing campaign image for Choice Hotels International.
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    Courtesy of Choice Hotels International
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    Choice Hotels CMO talks travel ‘maximizing’ in new global ad campaign

    Actor Keegan-Michael Key returns for this year’s marketing push, which aims to build brand loyalty, Noha Abdalla shares.

    By Jenna Graber • Jan. 14, 2025
  • Rocket rebrand billboard
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    Courtesy of Rocket
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    How Rocket Companies’ rebrand sets the stage for a new Super Bowl approach

    A new visual identity looks to position the company as the “most culturally significant and inclusive brand in America,” said CMO Jonathan Mildenhall.

    By • Jan. 14, 2025
  • Nikki Rodriguez poses for American Eagle's Fall 2024 campaign.
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    Courtesy of American Eagle
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    How American Eagle’s CMO avoids AI’s ‘generic creative’ trap

    At NRF’s Big Show, Craig Brommers addressed mounting production demands but said delegating more work to AI is a “scary” prospect.  

    By • Jan. 14, 2025
  • In this photo illustration, the welcome screen for the OpenAI "ChatGPT" app is displayed on a laptop screen on February 03, 2023 in London, England.
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    Leon Neal / Staff via Getty Images
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    Marketers increasingly prioritize automation investments: report

    However, a piecemeal approach to AI reflects a focus on short-term results instead of overarching strategies, per Mediaocean's research.

    By Aaron Baar • Jan. 13, 2025