Digital Transformation Is Redesigning The Leadership Role In Marketing

As we are already aware, digital transformation has comfortably found its way into all industries, impacting everything about the ways businesses operate. From their business models and strategies to their internal processes and team management, digital transformation is at the core of every decision this year.

Digital transformation is also driving an evolution in the C-suite, especially the role of the chief creative officer.

“Classic design, which rose out of the industrial era, brought the idea that there is a single, perfect way of designing something,” said Steve Gustavson, executive creative director at Adobe. “Once digital took over, the landscape now changes so fast that classic approaches simply don’t scale. Channels are exploding faster than we can keep up, and the request for content to personalize every communication means that we’ve had to rethink everything.” CMO reports.

Like their C-suite counterparts, chief executives including CCOs also must contend with understanding ever-evolving technologies. For example, familiarization with customer data platforms, digital asset management platforms, and personalization engines is crucial. Therefore, keeping up with the technology trends is vital to inspire companywide transformation on all levels.

It’s A Team Effort

Cross-departmental collaboration along with the recognition that it must go hand-in-hand with business judgment and keep the user experience top-of-mind is another must for today’s C-suite and CCOs. Also, it is one they must stress to their teams. Everyone on a team should be prepped to be on the same page around a new approach, and that they are thinking about content the same way.

“For creative teams to have any ability to speak about specific industries or sectors, you need someone from that sector group to pair up with a design professional and ensure mutual understanding… Today you have opportunities for design and creativity to be applied more broadly, in new and sometimes unexpected ways—like when applying design thinking in the supply chain.” Juan-Carlos Morales, PwC’s global CCO adds.

With more teams, the C-suite has more room to discuss ideas and solutions on one common ground and to bring in different perspectives from individuals from all walks of the industry. Due to this, it is more likely that you will be able to see the development of plans much more quickly with those plans being more validated when they reach the client.

Change Is Constant

With all this transformation in the world of CCOs, certain aspects of their work remain constant in the constantly changing marketing environment. For example, the value of good and smart ideas have not changed. Taking a traditional step first can enable a team to move quickly later, once everyone is on board.

Most importantly, taking the time to understand what your brand needs to communicate, what your audience wants to hear, and how you can communicate with them creatively is still just as significant as it was before the digital storm began. That being said, the digital landscape has given the C-suite more ways to deliver those messages and find potential audiences, but it is a tool that is at the leadership level’s disposal and should be taken advantage of in order to stay ahead and relevant across all industries.

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