We are living in an era of permanent change. What’s relevant to your customer today may be in their rearview mirror tomorrow. Sweeping shifts brought on by emerging technology, geopolitics, economic headwinds and a global pandemic have created both constant turmoil and opportunity for marketers.

Indeed, not since the dot-com era have the stakes of navigating change—and a fundamentally changed customer—been so high. Most marketing organizations have accepted, in theory at least, that they must now meet customers wherever they are and convey exactly the right message, experience, service or offer in exactly the right context. Otherwise, they risk becoming irrelevant.

But it’s also important to remember that many marketers work within far-reaching global businesses—and most companies simply aren’t adapting fast enough to match the increasing uncertainty and complexity around us. According to research we’ve worked on at Accenture, 95% of global leaders say their customers’—and employees’—lives are changing faster than businesses. That’s cause for concern, as almost two-thirds of consumers said they wished companies would respond faster to their rapidly evolving needs.

To help their companies thrive amid change rather than merely survive it, it is imperative that marketers lead the way. Based on Accenture’s expertise in advising CMOs and clients on marketing transformations, we have found that marketers can be highly effective change agents by focusing on three areas.

Be a dynamic data steward

In this new era of digital-based competition and customer control, people are increasingly buying because of a brand’s relevance to their needs in the moment. For marketers, that means blending both proactive and reactive strategies, and using both first- and third-party data.

Take Kimberly-Clark, which wanted to connect more emotionally with its customers and open a two-way dialogue. The personal care company created a solution: pulling first-party data to the fore and collating brand data from different sources to build a cohesive picture of customer needs. The new digital connections meant Kimberly-Clark could connect in a more personalized way, such as offering new parents informational tools and loyalty rewards on its Huggies mobile app or reaching out to people buying cold medication to help them find related products such as Kleenex.

This kind of sophisticated data use and dynamic strategy can create a culture of change across an organization, proving that marketing is a new strategic center of the business.

Data has showed marketers to be more adept and stronger than we ever thought we could be, and the entire function more resilient. When the aftershocks settle and a calmer pattern emerges, marketers should look for new pictures of progress to emerge—for both people and brands. 

Simplify to innovate

As Accenture CEO Julie Sweet has said, simplification means innovation. When you simplify, you reduce and focus. And that allows you to innovate more. 

Marketing is steeped in data that we use for business outcomes. Given the ever-changing landscape we’re in, we marketers need to lead the way in simplifying our own organizations—again, with the use of data. 

This is important in a time of potential budget cuts, where creating digital twins—a virtual duplicate of a physical object, process or system that can be used to predict how those elements will respond to different variables—can model possible cuts and their effects, helping to inform difficult decisions while reaching new levels of effectiveness. 

The impact that focus and data have on the entire marketing function reveals a truth we can all embrace: Data can not only lead to effectiveness but can also open the door to more creativity. 

For years, marketing has discussed and debated technology and data’s impact on our industry. Now is the time to use them for the good of our craft and our organizations. 

Employ cross-function collaboration

Marketing and communications professionals are seeking the best, most creative and strategic career opportunities available. According to LinkedIn, 618,000 marketers changed jobs in 2021. Having the best people is critical because their roles are critical. 

Retaining employees starts with keeping them engaged. And one way to keep them engaged is to set a positive example for working with others to achieve common goals. New research from Accenture underscores the importance of collaboration across the C-suite to ensure that people are at the center of change—particularly, that better alignment between the CMO and chief human resource officer drives better growth. In fact, the highest-performing CHROs are 42% more likely than their CHRO peers to have a strong, mutually influential relationship with CMOs. 

This focus, from the C-suite connection to the inspiration of every marketing and communications professional, will make a positive impact on both business growth and people’s careers. 

This means marketers should strive for closer alignment between marketing, communications and HR. Both functions are people-first, and both drive company growth. However, only one in three CHROs in our survey said they have a strong, mutually influential relationship with the CMO. This should be the year when 100% of CHROs and CMOs courageously embrace their partnership and together make a positive impact on business growth and their staffs’ careers and well-being.

Also rising in importance: the need to balance work-from-home convenience with the loss of workplace intangibles and the “accidental culture” that comes from chance hallway conversations and the spontaneous exchange of ideas that can help build careers and connections. Ongoing Accenture research has found that people miss office camaraderie, chitchat, shared lunch breaks, birthday cakes and more, because those unscripted moments have important connective value. A recent Gallup poll found that those who have a best friend at work were twice as likely to report feeling strongly satisfied with their jobs during the pandemic as those who don’t have a close friendship in the office (32% vs. 15%).

People want to be strategic, focused and connected. And they want to know what their career path is, along with opportunities for training and moving throughout the function. As marketers, we should revise the way we view outcomes, looking beyond quantitative metrics like leads or sales and considering qualitative factors like the experience of work itself. Creating this new consistency is a must-do—and the gateway to fairness and possibility.

Being the change

The single biggest challenge companies face is adapting fast enough to match the increasing uncertainty and complexity around us. Fortunately for marketers, we know how to read and respond to change—and we have the skills to do it. With today’s pace of change, CMOs and everyone in their organizations have no choice but to lead the way to help their organizations thrive in change, not just survive it.

During an economic downturn, CMO priorities and funding decisions may have an impact on almost every department of an organization, including sales, service, operations and HR. With the odds of a recession becoming more likely, it’s imperative that marketing leaders and financial decision-makers are aligned on topics like long-term strategy, where marketing can add value and which bellwethers indicate economic shifts to come.

According to Deloitte’s fourth quarter CFO Signals report, CFOs said their top three priorities for this year are cost management (52%), financial performance (50%) and growth (38%). With that in mind, CFOs are preparing to cut down on expenses, and CEOs are starting to completely overhaul their workforce, operational costs and more in preparation for a recession. Deloitte’s 2022 report with Cannes Lions showed us how creativity can play a major role in brand success. It is with this same focus on creativity that CMOs need to tackle uncertain economic times to drive our businesses forward and generate growth.

With recession prep on the minds of CMOs everywhere, taking cues from your CFO can be the first step toward a resilient marketing organization and movement to an “adaptation” mindset versus a “reaction” mindset. Furthermore, you have to anticipate consumers may alter their behavior. Do you have a marketing strategy that can keep up or are you following a blind plan? During a recession, it becomes even more vital that marketing is proactive, effective and efficient, all at once. Reallocating funding from programs that do not fall into these categories will improve overall performance. Evaluate everything from advertising to personnel and platform investments.

Ready to build a resilient marketing organization? As a CMO myself, I’ve found three pieces of advice to be the most effective.

Focus on long-term market share instead of quarterly earnings

Choosing to cut marketing spending to save money can lead to your competitors and even new entrants to the market leaping on that opportunity to take market share from you. Recapturing lost market share is always more expensive than maintaining it, so be wary of cuts that will put market share at risk. Stay confident and use every resource available to efficiently protect your market share.

Thinking like a CFO means focusing on the two-year plan more than the quarterly report. How do you stick with ambitious goals even when times are tough? We’ve seen again and again that constraints can inspire creativity. Previous dips in the economic cycle have inspired significant business model innovations and improvements. Building a culture of creativity within your organization can help surface these groundbreaking insights and unlock new sources of revenue from disruptive new business models that can turn economic downturn into a transformative business opportunity.

As complex problems require creative solutions, ingenuity and innovation will get you farther than money alone. Adding value through innovation won’t just retain existing customers but will create new ones.

Engage in collaborative cost-cutting

A big mistake we can make as CMOs is waiting for our CFO to come to us for recommendations on where to cut costs. Like a CFO, CMOs should always have a pulse on the budget. CMOs should be watching the organization’s overall financial positioning and know which areas will add overall brand value, and which may not. Shape out these conversations and areas now. It’s never too late to start the conversation. Set up a weekly phone call with your CFO to begin collaborating on where it makes sense to cut costs during this downturn and gain insight on coming organizational strategies.

These calls also establish a shared vernacular, which strengthens the stronghold of the CFO-CMO partnership and allows you to better protect key resources and programs. CFOs are math-oriented. For marketing functions to be seen as a driver for growth and value, the CMO must be equipped with the ability to communicate marketing’s metrics, conversion rates and the value marketing brings to the full organization. Determining which KPIs are understood and appreciated by the CFO can impact where marketing falls in investment priorities and how investments drive revenue or cut costs. Additionally, your CFO will likely be able to share insights into upcoming business milestones that may determine when, how or where increased investment or cost-cutting is likely to occur.

After starting these conversations, it’s much easier to make smart, hard and fast decisions to identify your biggest ROI opportunities. Now more than ever, you need to bring performance data and ROI into focus by measuring and demonstrating value in every decision you make.

Choose your sources wisely

As all eyes are on the market right now, there are plenty of sources and forecasts circulating in the media each day. Some even drastically disagree with one another. Some doubt that forecasts have much value for executives making decisions that can make or break businesses and livelihoods. However, it’s better to have a few trusted sources with whom you can consult on a regular basis than to make decisions in a vacuum. There’s a lot of noise, and you need to be able to pick the right channels in order to decipher the noise. Pick a couple of your most trusted sources, use their past studies as a benchmark and track updates as they come along.

The bottom line is, don’t feel the need to adjust tactics based on every source you read. Your CFO is already a trusted hub of information. Ask for which sources they trust most and work from there.

Onward, with intention

It will take creative problem-solving to prevail during a recession, but it is possible. This industry has grown exponentially from the innovative ways we’re able to pivot, not just in content but in the way we adapt and listen. We must learn to wear many hats as CMOs and adopt new ways of thinking to challenge what we previously knew about recessions and have better outcomes. Now is the time to think less about marketing and advertising for marketing and advertising’s sake and lead your marketing spend with super-charged purpose. The means to do so certainly exist.

Taking the time to study and connect with your CFO to evaluate the needs and goals of your company are just two parts of the equation to remaining resilient during an economic downturn, but it’s a good starting point.

The chief executive of KR Wavemaker, the French arm of the WPP-owned media agency, Jean-Philippe Bertaux, has stepped down and will be succeeded by CEO Julien Boyer and President Roch Osenda.

After 13 years within the agency, with 10 spent as CEO, Bertaux has overseen the merger of Maxus/MEC and the acquisition of KR Media to form the business as it is now.

The agency has not revealed his next venture.

The dual leadership team of Osenda and Boyer, who were previously managing directors, will report to Ruth Stubbs, chief executive for EMEA, and WPP France’s country head and GroupM chief executive, Mathieu Morgensztern.

With the change being made immediately, the pair will also be part of the Wavemaker EMEA and GroupM France executive leadership teams.  

In a statement, Stubbs said: “Working with Roch and Julien over the past three years has been an absolute pleasure. They are both people-first, approachable and collaborative leaders that understand the importance of being close to the work for their clients. Both Julien and Roch have contributed to both regional and a driving force in the French market—this has been invaluable.  

She added: “The combined skillsets of Roch and Julien provide Wavemaker France with something that is positively provocative and differentiating.”  

Meanwhile, Wavemaker has also been confirmed as the media planning and buying agency for Transport for London and the Greater London Authority in the U.K.

Following a pitch process, the appointment will be retained for up to four years, charged with running campaigns that encourage Londoners to use more sustainable methods of transport around the city and transport safety campaigns and informing the city of the world of the Mayor of London Assembly.

The appointment has seen the consolidation of an agency framework into one single supplier to ensure “the best value for money.”   

AMC Networks is switching things up ahead of the upfront.

Top line

Today, the company announced a strategic reorganization of its commercial revenue group, giving additional responsibilities to key leaders and creating new teams focused on sales and pricing/planning.

The leaders taking on expanded roles in the reorganization will be heavily involved in driving upfront talks.

Between the lines

Among the changes, AMC Networks’ new structure combines the company’s advanced advertising and national sales teams and centralizes linear and digital operations under Evan Adlman, who is being promoted to executive vice president of commercial sales and revenue operations.

Additionally, the organizational realignment integrates the company’s pricing and planning group with its direct response sales efforts under Marc Krok, who is moving to an expanded role as executive vice president of revenue management.

Both Adlman and Krok will continue to report to chief commercial officer Kim Kelleher, who runs the company’s commercial revenue group that spans advertising sales, distribution and partner management, content room, pricing and planning, revenue operations and integrated marketing.

“We are looking forward to bringing a new and strategically realigned sales organization to the 2023/24 upfront, in addition to a remarkable slate of original programming, growing franchises and compelling partnership opportunities,” Kelleher said in a statement.

“Our new structure is designed to drive innovation and bring our most potent advantages and capabilities to market in a way that will make it even easier for our advertising partners to unlock the value of our viewer relationships and leadership position in new technologies like addressable advertising, our strong presence on new digital platforms and other differentiated and data-driven offerings,” she added.

In his new role, Adlam will oversee national sales, linear and digital operations; the FAST/AVOD business team; programmatic sales; and advanced advertising. AMC’s Todd Schwartzman and Tony Song will lead national sales on the team, and Marisa Simon will lead the linear and addressable operations teams.

Krok will lead pricing and planning; direct response sales; and sales and partnerships for BBC World News, with divisional leads Shannon Frasier, Pat Lucci and Michael Graf also on the team.

Additionally, Kim Granito, evp of content room and integrated marketing, has added two new leaders to her team. Miguel Enrique Rodriguez joins AMC Networks as svp of production, operations and events; and Kevin Vitale is moving to the team as svp of creative and marketing strategy.

In a statement, Kelleher noted that Adlman, Krok and Granito were the “right leaders” to guide the new teams and deliver results.

AMC Networks previously announced it will host an in-person upfront event on April 18 at Jazz at Lincoln Center, moving from last year’s in-person presentation at Peak in Hudson Yards.

Bottom line

The changes come following large-scale layoffs at AMC.

Last November, CEO Christina Spade exited the company after mere months in the position, and AMC Networks has yet to announce a replacement.

In a memo to employees announcing the change, AMC Networks chairman James Dolan indicated cutbacks and layoffs were on the way. Following the memo, the company reportedly went on to lay off 20% of its U.S. staff.

The (new) CW Network has its marketing leader.

Nexstar, the network’s parent company, named former WarnerMedia executive Chris Spadaccini as The CW’s new head of marketing. He’s the latest executive hire since Nexstar closed its acquisition of the network in October.

“It is very rare that any company gets to add someone of Chris Spadaccini’s stature to its team,” Brad Schwartz, president of entertainment for The CW Network, said in a statement. “When it comes to marketers who have built and defined legendary brands for decades and created passionate, emotional attachment between content and audiences, Chris is a true pioneer and the best in the business.” 

Spadaccini spent 20 years at HBO and WarnerMedia, where he spearheaded campaigns for series such as Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, Entourage, The Wire and Succession. He also helmed strategy for HBO’s three streaming services, finishing with HBO Max.

The executive eventually became CMO of WarnerMedia Entertainment in 2019 before departing as part of a restructuring five months after (former) CEO Jason Kilar took over. Spadaccini was most recently CMO at retail-entertainment company Camp.

“There are exciting changes underway at The CW, and I’m thrilled to be a part of the network’s evolution,” Spadaccini said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to creating innovative brand experiences that resonate with mass audiences and help accelerate the next phase of business growth.”

The CW has undergone several changes since Nexstar completed its purchase of 75% ownership interest in the company last year. Though Nexstar originally said CEO and chairman Mark Pedowitz would remain in his position, that abruptly changed once the deal was finalized, with Dennis Miller taking over as The CW president. Several other executives, including ad sales chief Rob Tuck, also exited following the acquisition.

In addition, though the network was previously known for its appeal to a loyal young demographic with a large slate of scripted series, The CW canceled many of its flagship shows ahead of the Nexstar deal. The CW’s parent company is looking to make the network profitable by 2025.

Broadcasting giant Warner Bros. Discovery has promoted its veteran television marketer Rebecca Rørmark to senior vp, head of streaming marketing for Europe, Middle East and Africa ahead of the launch of its global streaming platform.

Rørmark, who was previously vp of marketing in the Nordics, originally joined the Discovery Channel in Norway in 2013. WBD was formed in 2021 following the merger of the Discovery Channel with Warner Media.

Her promotion comes ahead of the launch of WBD’s global streaming platform, bringing together Discovery+ and HBO Max content. It will initially go live in the U.S. and Latin America later this year before rolling out across Europe in 2024.

In her new role, Rørmark will be tasked with heading up the evolution of the streaming brands in EMEA, as well as subscriber recruitment and growth in the region through marketing.

She will report to Patrizio Spagnoletto, the global chief marketing officer for direct-to-consumer.

“I feel very privileged to be joining this incredibly talented team at such a crucial time in our business as we work together towards launching an enhanced streaming service that will deliver the best of what Discovery+ and HBO Max have to offer. Consumers are craving great content, ease and consolidation, and I believe we will deliver what they are looking for with our enhanced product,” Rørmark said in a statement.

The promotion follows an announcement by another streaming platform, Tubi, which has signed a content deal in the U.S. with WBD to broadcast 14 branded channels featuring 225 titles, including all seasons of Westworld, Raised by Wolves, Legendary, FBoy Island, The Nevers, Finding Magic Mike, Head of the Class and The Time Traveler’s Wife.

More than 90 Warner Bros. films will also be included in the deal across the channels, including Mad City, A Scanner Darkly, With Honors, 50 Cent: Refuse 2 Die, Angus, Fair Game, Fearless, Hearts in Atlantis, Other People’s Money and Sibling Rivalry, among others.

IPG-owned agency network McCann Worldgroup has announced a restructuring of its leadership, with Daryl Lee set to become global chief executive officer as Chris Macdonald steps down.

Among other changes, Alex Lopez, global president and chief creative officer of McCann Worldgroup, is leaving the company. With his departure, McCann will create one global CCO position.

“As the CCO role shifts to one focused more on traditional advertising in their daily work, I am stepping aside to allow someone to take over who will bring the same passion to the job as I did,” Lopez said in a statement. 

Other leadership changes include Suzanne Powers, global president and chief strategy officer, becoming the chair of FutureBrand and global chief product officer for McCann Worldgroup. She will aim to elevate both creative and strategic product excellence, innovation and thought leadership across the network.

Kate MacNevin, global chair and CEO of MRM, will become chief operating officer of McCann Worldgroup while retaining her role leading the agency. Nannette Dufour will add the responsibilities of global chief sustainability officer to her current role of global chief client officer.

Meanwhile, Harjot Singh, global CSO for McCann, will take on the same role for Worldgroup.

“Clients need connected solutions to their brand and marketing challenges, which requires us to work fluidly across agency lines to deliver ideas that are powered by our collective creativity,” Lee said in a statement.

Lee has been with IPG since 2006 starting as global president of Universal McCann before moving on to executive roles at McCann Erikson and IPG Mediabrands.

Lopez had been with McCann Worldgroup for the past year and a half and, before that, spent more than 20 years at Nike.

Advertising plays a major role in shaping how we interpret and experience the world around us. That makes the people who create it powerful—and the people who teach them even more so. 

Recently, LinkedIn’s advertising community got a jarring wakeup call about how that power needs to be wielded, and the damage that’s done when we fall short. 

When Tom Christmann, co-dean of Adhouse Advertising School, was approached by a teacher, he was initially excited about sharing the below piece of student work on social media:

“One of the things I’ve been pushing for is to get more student work out there,” Christmann told me. “I saw it as more of an ‘in your face’ to the people that use the phrase White Lives Matter, so I said, ‘OK, let’s post it.’ … I just missed it. I completely missed it.”

While Christmann removed the post from the Adhouse account and ultimately issued an apology, what he wasn’t aware of was that the teacher who initially called the work “brilliant” had been defending his position for a full week on his personal page until industry activist and VMLY&R chief experience design officer Walter Geer got involved, at which point he deleted the post. 

Like many who engaged in the conversation from there, a question continued to play in my mind: How many creatives, entrusted to create responsible, compelling work by the world’s most resourced brands, were taught to do so by someone with such unchecked blind spots, and what can we do about it?

Train those who teach, even volunteers 

If you ask those in the know, the only real qualifications one needs to teach at many of the prominent ad schools is a desire to be in front of a classroom and a connection with someone who has the power to put them there. 

Of course, this is a problem. City College of New York advertising professor Rebecca Rivera confirmed this flaw in the system without mincing words. 

“In this community, most professionals are invited into the classroom. If they like it, they get the bug. They keep teaching, but they’re not necessarily prepared,” she said. 

“If you’re going to walk into a classroom and shape young minds, it’s your responsibility to figure out how to deliver the best practices, and that includes social responsibility. Don’t just invite your pals into the classroom because they think it’ll be a fun lark,” Rivera added.

In my discussion with Christmann, the question of what’s fair to demand from instructors earning only around $350 per student for a 10-week course—just half of the $699 each student pays—came up as a concern, but Rivera had an excellent counterpoint: Even for purely volunteer initiatives like her board position with 100 Roses From Concrete, “that doesn’t mean you take everyone.”

Like with all worthy endeavors, resources are required to do a job responsibly. Ad schools must make it an imperative to ensure any instructor trusted to steward a classroom understands the importance of de-centering their own lived experiences to cultivate creative professionals trained to do the same. 

Diversify the front of the classroom

While ad schools have made strides in ensuring students from historically excluded communities have accessible opportunities to learn the business, Adrienne Lucas, global director of DEI at The One Club for Creativity emphasized the importance of ensuring those in front of the classroom reflect those students’ lived experiences, too. 

“Blackness is celebrated at ONE School,” Lucas said. “The majority of tutors, lecturers and mentors are Black. Students are encouraged to lean into their cultural backgrounds and interests to create authentic work. With each graduating class, ONE School is creating a pipeline of Black talent into the industry. We’re also working to provide DEI and cultural competency training to all of our sponsoring agencies.”

Pam Yang, DEI advocate and co-founder of Agency DEI, is working to create much needed accountability across the marketing and advertising landscape, and ad schools are no exception.

“Be transparent about who your leaders and teachers are by sharing data … to show prospective students and partners how you’re reflecting consumers’ broad array of experiences,” she advised. 

Answering Yang’s call to action couldn’t be less complicated. Ad schools, agencies and in-house marketers committed to transparency are invited to share their stats with her organization here—a move likely to create a powerful competitive advantage for those prioritizing diversity and a powerful incentive to do so for everyone else. 

Make cultural literacy part of every curriculum 

How many of the top ad schools even offer a course on inclusive marketing, marketing responsibly or anything along those lines, much less require one? Even for professors like Rivera and at institutions like ONE School, the mandate to make cultural literacy part of the curriculum is self-imposed. 

“Every course that I teach, whether it’s copywriting, marketing research, media studies or portfolio development, I make sure to weave in cultural literacy. I make sure my students understand that there are ethics involved,” said Rivera. 

As Yang insightfully added, “Ultimately, the foundations of marketing are rooted in empathy and consideration for the people you want to reach. But for cultural literacy, it’s empathy and consideration for the people who may be impacted.” 

Considering consumer impact alongside consumer engagement takes a nuanced understanding of the difference between the two. If an ad school can’t confidently confirm its instructors are willing and able to impart this lesson, all the good intentions in the world don’t change the fact that they’re actually doing far more harm than good.

Listen to your critics 

A new year may be upon us, but there’s a reason we’re still talking about so many of the same things. From those in charge of the most influential ad schools to those who wield power across the industry at large, there remains a pervasive unwillingness to acknowledge the reality that lived experience is exclusive expertise.

Until each and every one of us reframes our responsibility to prioritize cultural literacy, we will continue to fall short of where we need to be, blaming the scarcity of time and money for our own complicity in preserving the status quo. 

Time and money are only scarce in adland for things we don’t deem of much consequence. But if we truly want to move past the perils of mediocrity, cultural literacy is anything but inconsequential—it’s the key to clearing the exponentially ascending bar that will define the creative excellence every brand’s success will demand.