Emily Howard

expert panel

A CFO scanning a marketing report sees it through a completely different lens than a CIO or a CCO. And if a CMO doesn’t address each C-suite member’s priorities and perspective when reporting results, it’s unlikely they’ll effectively pitch their vision for ongoing marketing strategy. For a CMO, building trust across C-suite relationships isn’t just a soft skill; it’s a core competency that separates leaders who drive brand momentum and bottom-line growth from those who simply draft and schedule routine marketing content. A CMO who falls back on industry jargon and data points instead of learning the language of finance, technology or customer operations undercuts and undersells their team’s impact. Marketing comes to be seen as a cost center rather than a strategic driver: perpetually on defense, justifying spend instead of shaping decisions. But CMOs who learn to translate their work into terms that resonate with their C-suite peers don’t just earn goodwill; they earn a seat at the table when it matters most. That balancing act is especially important in a digital age, when CMOs need input from peers and cross-functional collaboration to optimize customer experience and trust. So what does effective C-suite relationship management actually look like in practice, and where do well-intentioned CMOs most often get it wrong? Below, members of the Senior Executive CMO Think Tank weigh in. With deep expertise spanning brand strategy, digital marketing, customer engagement and executive leadership, these industry leaders offer hard-won perspective on how CMOs can translate marketing’s business value in terms the whole C-suite understands and build the cross-functional trust that turns alignment from aspiration into advantage.

expert panel

Today’s CMOs are tasked with far more than crafting marketing campaigns and boosting growth metrics. They’re customer champions, executive partners, culture carriers, data translators and creative visionaries. Dealing with these omnidirectional challenges—all while producing creative content and shepherding their team—has a name: 360-degree leadership.  CMOs must understand how marketing connects to business strategy, how decisions affect the people doing the work, and how cross-functional relationships shape what’s actually possible. It’s not an easy remit, and they often butt heads with their fellow executive leaders who aren’t fully versed in modern marketing’s role and impact. At the same time, they and their teams are often asked to do more with less while navigating shifting executive priorities, worries about how technology could impact their work, and the relentless pace of the always-on digital marketplace. If a CMO can’t hold the line on focus, culture or strategic clarity, burnout spreads, morale erodes and the work suffers. A CMO who thrives under that kind of pressure knows when and how to push back, when and how to align, and when and how to protect their team from unreasonable or unfocused demands. They don’t just keep work moving—they create focus, set boundaries and ensure expectations are realistic, protecting both performance and morale. The members of the Senior Executive CMO Think Tank have hard-won expertise in brand storytelling, digital advertising, customer engagement and the integration of AI into modern marketing strategy. Below, four of them share what 360-degree leadership really looks like in practice and what they’ve learned about successfully balancing influence, accountability, creativity and team well-being.

expert panel

Marketing has never moved faster—or felt more crowded. Trends flare up and fade out in days, algorithms shift without warning, and brands are under constant pressure to stay relevant at scale. In that rush, it’s easy for marketing to become louder, broader and more automated, even as audiences are growing ever more selective about what they actually notice, remember and trust. As an investor and spokesperson for brands Aviation Gin and Mint Mobile, actor and entrepreneur Ryan Reynolds says his North Star is simple: He’s trying to create a feeling, because “everything that’s intimate is memorable.” But in a supercharged digital marketplace, how do agencies and branding teams create messaging that feels personal and human without sacrificing speed, consistency and reach? It’s a difficult balance to attain—sacrificing authenticity for velocity can veer into manipulation, and manipulation can have negative effects not only on brands but also on consumers.  The members of the Senior Executive CMO Think Tank are seasoned experts in brand storytelling, digital advertising and customer engagement. Here, they share their perspectives on how to balance genuine emotional connection with scalability to create marketing that’s honest, helpful, emotionally resonant—and remembered.