Navigating the labyrinth that is the world of modern marketing demands more than just savvy campaigns—it requires a strategic blend of innovation, consumer insight, and adaptive leadership. At Mailchimp’s From Here, To There conference, industry CMOs Brent Smart of Telstra, Dean Norbiato of Kia, and Michelle Taite of Intuit Mailchimp converged on a panel hosted by leadership expert Holly Ransom to dissect these challenges and unveil transformative strategies.
From pioneering AI integration to crafting resonant narratives and fostering inclusive team cultures, these CMOs illuminated the path forward in an era where cutting through the noise is both the ultimate challenge and opportunity.
Cutting through the noise
Cutting through the noise in the marketing industry requires innovative strategies and a deep understanding of both the market and consumer behaviour. Norbiato illustrated this by sharing a recent success story from the automotive sector: the Kia Gets a Ute campaign. He emphasised the challenge of entering a “heavily saturated and mature market”, likening it to “walking into a bar for the first time and seeing the old guy sitting at the counter” and suggesting that new entrants need to “really earn your stripes.” To differentiate themselves, Norbiato’s team looked “further up the sales funnel for an opportunity before we even had a name to try and garner cut through some salience.” This approach allowed Kia to stand out by avoiding the overcrowded spaces where “everybody has access to the same data, and everyone does the same thing”.
Smart unpacked the overwhelming volume of content being produced and the limited time consumers have to engage with it. He noted, “There is a stupid amount of content in the world…and yet every consumer you ever meet…says the same thing: I’ve got no time.” This creates a significant challenge for marketers, as “most content…just goes invisible”.
To counter this, Norbiato suggested that traditional media channels, which might seem outdated, actually provide a less cluttered environment where “people spend more time and give more attention.” He explained that their media planning is based on “attention-rich” metrics, revealing that television spots, for example, receive significantly more viewer attention than digital platforms.
Taite further supported this by stressing the importance of contextualisation and simplicity in messaging, which helps achieve meaningful engagement in an otherwise saturated content landscape.
Embracing AI
Embracing and utilising AI in the marketing industry has become crucial for modern CMOs seeking innovative ways to connect with their audiences. Taite highlighted the importance of knowing your customers and where they spend their time, both on and off platforms. “Our team pulled together a concept and showcased the concept through AI-generated imagery in one of our first meetings, and we very quickly aligned on this concept,” she said.
This approach allowed Mailchimp to optimise their campaign materials across different countries in real-time, leading to their most successful campaign to date, which “tested at the top per cent of the top 5% of Ipsos ads.” According to Taite, the value of AI in enhancing creativity and efficiency can not be understated, noting that “if you don’t test it, if you don’t try it, then you’re never going to use it when you really need it.”
Smart echoed the sentiment that AI can significantly enrich customer experiences when used creatively with reference to the iconic Calls to Santa campaign, where children can use Telstra payphones to call “Santa” around the holiday period. Utilising generative AI, Telstra transformed the previously used simple recorded message into an interactive, two-way conversation. “It blew kids’ minds; they thought they were actually speaking to Santa,” Smart explained. This innovation resulted in a substantial increase in engagement, with 600,000 calls to Santa compared to the previous year’s 150,000.
AI can also streamline creative production processes, giving businesses greater ownership and flexibility. “We’re probably looking at it also from a creative production standpoint, streamlining, having greater ownership, you know, using it to create a voice agent,” said Norbiato. While acknowledging the challenges and developmental stages of AI integration, Norbiato stressed the importance of staying ahead of the curve to avoid being left behind in a rapidly evolving industry.
Building a successful team
In today’s marketing landscape, several key skills are essential for building a successful marketing team. For Taite the key is the ability to “tell a crisp narrative that has a really clear value proposition and an understanding of the customer.” She stressed the importance of connection and personalisation. “If in doubt, connect—connect your customers, connect your teams, connect to the work” she said. “Just putting someone’s name on it is not personalisation. Think about the data that you have on them, the ability to personalise an experience that provides value to them.”
Taite also underscored the importance of building a community around the brand. “Having the shared courage for you to experience as a brand something with a customer… not just build trust but also providing value and ultimately building that community around it”.
Norbiato seconded this, making it clear just how crucial fostering a collaborative and approachable culture within the team is. “There’s nothing worse when someone’s unapproachable… being approachable is so important”. Referencing a former co-worker who always used the line “that’s not my job”, Norbiato shared how he has changed the hiring process, ensuring that every worker has their foot in at this one other section of the team to breed collaboration and teamwork. This approach enhances cooperation and broadens team members’ perspectives, fostering creativity and driving the team towards better performance and innovation.
