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Eminent CMO Linda Boff‘s departure from General Electric in April made news for two reasons. First, it marked the end of a tenure that included GE shedding its appliance brands and then splitting into three industrial companies. Second, though Boff could arguably have written her ticket to any marketing suite in corporate America, she decided to join an ad agency instead.
In June, Boff became CEO of Said Differently, a shop that’s upended the traditional agency model by eschewing a large, full-time staff in favor of a “global talent network” of designers, analysts, and digital strategists.
Crossing over to the agency side has given Boff the opportunity to look at marketing and advertising from a dual perspective, recognizing the places where both CMOs and agencies frequently fall short. In conversation with ADWEEK’s chief brand and community officer Jenny Rooney at the Brandweek summit in Phoenix, Ariz., Boff shared an informed perspective on how brands and agencies should adjust their thinking to create smoother relationships—and better work.
Agencies get the clients they deserve
Having earned her stripes at Citigroup before moving to GE in 2003, Boff has sat through many a pitch meeting—and watched agencies make the same mistakes over and over. “Agencies get the clients they deserve,” she said. “What I mean by that is, if you as an agency are showing up to sell work and to win work, and you’re not there to figure out a brand’s needs, it’s not the formula for a great relationship.”
Take the CMO blinders off
Some of the most valuable experience a marketer can get lays outside of the marketing department. At GE, “I spent most of my time with other people in the C-suite,” Boff said. “The ability to talk to the CFO, talk to the head of IR [investor relations], to the chief people officer and the CEO was an important part of my journey.”
During the years of work required to section the corporation into three publicly traded brands (GE Aerospace, GE HealthCare and energy company GE Vernova), Boff was able to play her role because she understood the roles of others. “I don’t think I could have been successful if I had the marketing blinders on,” she said.