Brand is not a Cost Center. Brand is the engine.

By Jennifer Cooper – Chief Marketing Officer | Strategic Partner to CEO’s and COO’s

Marketing is the toughest role in any organization.

My opinion, but I live it.

Here’s why.

A hashtag#CMO is not just building a brand , but building belief in the work itself. In fact we are always building something even when sales are quieter. We can’t magically tie that to the bottom line, but we toil and fret on how to build confidence in a brand’s job even in times when buying activity is low.

Marketing is the only function constantly asked to prove its value, mostly because that real “magic” happens in places you can’t see it: feelings/emotion, relatability, top of mind recall, and ties to a hierarchy of needs that very from every single human being. Yet those are the very things that shape most buying decisions and brand is working to plug into those unseen traits every day.

A great CMO helps a firm think long-term in a world that screams short term results. We turn insights into action that build confidence. We defend that “invisible work” that makes the visible results possible.

When leadership truly believes in everything “seen and unseen” from marketing dept. efforts, growth accelerates. This includes harnessing and investing in data , innovation, and hiring the right CMO leaders who are looking to drive a competitive edge for the brand.

When they don’t, even the smartest ideas never leave the boardroom.

Brand isn’t a cost center, it’s the engine that pulls everything forward. And it’s CMO’s … like me, that love every part of making the “magic” happen!