Sustainability as part of the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) role
In a recent Google survey, 82% of shoppers said that sustainability is more top-of-mind now than it was before the pandemic and while the cost-of-living crisis makes sustainable options more difficult for some consumers, due to cost, there is an expectation that companies will now deliver on this.
Within marketing, there is a regularly communicated conflict between the long-term desire to deliver on sustainability, and other purpose-driven objectives, and also the need – especially now – to deliver organisational growth immediately. For the CMO, sustainability is now part of their role to ensure that consumers feel their values align with the brand, and there are several ways in which this can be done.
Aligning long-term and short-term strategies
A recent Marketing Week article focussed on a purpose-driven strategy by Innocent Drinks - a certified B Corporation – looking at how long-term initiatives worked alongside mid- to short-term requirements to actually sell products. Emilie Stephenson, Innocent Drink’s Head of Force for Good UK, said, "Lots of brands are trying to get on the bandwagon of purpose-driven marketing, while we've had it for so long." She describes their approach as ‘disruptive consistency,’ where the brand recognises the importance of long-term initiatives alongside shorter-term activations. The CMO’s role is to develop a strategy that does both, to ensure that the brand is both trusted and encouraging sales.
Helping to manage organisational change
By collaborating with internal partners to identify priorities, the CMO will use metrics from customers and employers to decide on the desired organisational outcomes. The CMO will work alongside key stakeholders to collate insights and data to build a strategy that not only delivers on growth, but also ensures that stakeholders buy in to those plans with collaboration, confidence, and wholehearted support. They may also look to inspire action by seeking partnerships with relevant organisations and causes, providing additional momentum and opportunities for growth.
Telling the story like no one else can
While an organisation’s sustainability and entire ESG framework is much bigger than just the marketing communications, the CMO can certainly tell the story like no one else can. Working with their team, they will deliver on organisational commitments in an inspiring, relevant, and consistent way to ensure that both long-term initiatives and shorter-term activations are delivered seamlessly and enable growth.
What is certain is that sustainability is now expected rather than desired. From our conversations with clients and candidates, more and more marketers are completing ESG training to ensure they gain a full understanding on how they can deliver positive change for organisations in order to attract and retain customers. For the CMO, this purpose-driven approach also provides the ‘purpose and joy’ so many have sought in their roles over the past few years.
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