In this issue: Answers to last week’s Self-reflection. Why ‘plug and play’ Customer Data Platforms may not be all that they seem. And how you can drive real Value with a first party data strategy for your entire organization.

Recap of last week’s post:

Last week I talked about how important it is to have a comprehensive first party data strategy that involves your entire organization. That’s the way to find your SuperFans, SuperCustomers or SuperDonors. And they’re the way to add real Value to your organization. But there are no shortcuts to get you there easily.

I gave the example of a multi-billion dollar corporation that had invested in a ‘plug and play’ Customer Data Platform during COVID. The marketing leader sourced it alone, without involving their CTO or their CFO. Unfortunately, when they plugged it in, it didn’t play at all, and now they have a money pit that isn’t delivering Value.

My advice to the CFO was to write it off as a sunk cost. And to invest in a proper first party data strategy, involving the whole organization in creating it.

Building a first-party data strategy is like digging a gold mine where you already know there’s gold in the ground. Every dollar you put in brings you closer to the motherlode. Only instead of uncovering shiny nuggets, you’re discovering your SuperFans.

What framework am I using to structure my ‘personal 5 cents’, when considering last week’s questions?

Please note: I repeat this framework again and again, in every other episode of this newsletter. The idea of using Return on Marketing Career (RoMC) as a framework for career development is explained in great detail in the first newsletter in this series.

Why? Because this has served me well over the 25 years of my career, and because I find that we are all so distracted today (myself included) that unless we see something multiple times, we forget about it.

If you’re already familiar with this way of thinking, please skip this section and go straight to the next one.

My fundamental belief is that marketers who want to Move Up Faster should treat their marketing career just as we would a marketing campaign. Instead of Return on Advertising Spend (RoAS) we can measure our success by Return on Marketing Career (RoMC).

There are four steps to this RoMC process: 

Step 1. Get out of your Comfort Zone as much as possible, even if that scares you because it’s new.

Step 2. Doing new things will increase your professional skill-set. That’s the only way to learn.

Step 3. A broader or deeper skill-set will increase your Value to your colleagues, your team, your firm and your clients.

Step 4. The higher Value you deliver in your role – now that you have a bigger skillset – the sooner you should get a raise, or a promotion.

Now that we’ve reminded ourselves about the RoMC framework – here are my ‘personal 5 cents’ on last week’s post.

LEADER (managing Managers)

Step 1, Get out of your Comfort Zone: What if you pictured this: You’re working for a brand-new company (I know that your current established brand rakes in millions or billions). At that emerging brand, as a marketing Leader, you would ditch the corporate playbook, and get real, dig into who your initial customers are, right? Why not bring that ‘start up’ energy to your current role? Forget about the annual plan, budget meetings, or shuffling team members – strip it down to the basics: creating markets is all that matters. It sounds obvious, right? But let’s be real – most marketing Leaders are so wrapped up in corporate drama or drowning in the daily grind that they forget the core of their job. I get it – I get wrapped up in the Urgent too; it’s almost impossible to find the Important.

Step 2, Develop a New Skill: Learn how to never lose sight of the Important fundamentals, like product-market fit. Marketing isn’t just about staying relevant; it’s about being obsessed with it. You know this, but let’s be honest – when was the last time you actually had a conversation with your customers?

Step 3, Create More New Value in your Role: Create Value by being the one who knows your customers better than anyone else. Picture them, understand their needs, and champion their cause within your brand. If you’re not that person, then who will be?

Step 4, Set Yourself Up for a Bigger Future Role or a Promotion: Leaders who move up faster are always ahead of the game when it comes to their audience. They don’t just follow trends – they anticipate shifts, adapt, and become the ‘voice of the customer’ in their organization. That’s how you earn the big bucks as the marketing leader.

MANAGER (managing Talent on the Rise)

Step 1, Get out of your Comfort Zone: What if you talked to your marketing leader about how close you and your team are to the customer? I know that managers or directors often aren’t ‘allowed to’ or are even discouraged from spending time with real customers. (You are supposed to do ‘real’ work!) But what if you spoke up about the need to get closer to the customer – maybe once a quarter?

Step 2, Develop a New Skill: Learn how toget out of your office and spend time in the stores, with customer service, or directly with customers. Remind yourself who’s on the receiving end of the ads or website experience your team is managing.

Step 3, Create More New Value in your Role: Create value by reminding your team that marketing isn’t just about creating presentations, updating spreadsheets or clicking buttons in a media buying platform. It’s about fulfilling the needs and desires of the people who interact with your brand. In order to create markets.

Step 4, Set Yourself Up for a Bigger Future Role or a Promotion: Managers who move up faster know how to light a fire under their team. When your people genuinely connect with the customers, they’re more engaged, more productive, and ultimately, more successful.

TALENT ON THE RISE

Step 1, Get out of your Comfort Zone: What if you asked your manager or leader, “What do our customers really need and want?” or “Who are our core customers versus the new segments we’re trying to crack?” Don’t just go through the motions – get really curious. Become a customer champion.

Step 2, Develop a New Skill: Learn how to view your brand’s marketing strategy and tactics through the lens of customer value – whether they’re low-, medium-, or high-value segments. That’s where the rubber meets the road.

Step 3, Create More New Value in your Role: Create value by delving deeper into who your brand’s high-value customers are — your SuperFans, SuperCustomers, or SuperDonors. That’s where the real impact happens.

Step 4, Set Yourself Up for a Bigger Future Role or a Promotion: Talent who moves up faster is laser-focused on high-impact work. Prioritize campaigns that drive more from your brand’s SuperFans. Don’t just do your job – crush it where it counts. It’ll boost your RoMC.

If you’d like to discuss your career journey with me one-to-one, please feel free to email me at Greg@moveupfaster.me or message me on LinkedIn.

Thank you for reading.

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