Trends CMOs Must Prepare for in 2021 and Beyond: A Webinar Recap

The COVID-19 pandemic pushed consumers to adapt digital channels at an unprecedented pace and increased their expectations for a personalized brand experience. In this New York Times-moderated webinar, former Apple CEO and Pepsi President, John Sculley, and Zeta CEO David A. Steinberg, discuss the trends CMOs must prepare for to achieve success in 2021 and beyond. 

Read the blog below to see some of the highlights from their 45-minute conversation, or access the full-length recording of the session here




The big shift 


Marketing used to be reactionary. You delivered a message with reach and then you measured results over time.

Today, it’s proactive. You achieve success by taking massive amounts of data, developing personalized messaging, and optimizing that messaging in real time as individual consumer opinions move.   

Soapbox marketing is no more


The days of marketers standing on a soapbox to present their brand’s products and services to the world are over. You no longer hold your brand up to the world.

Instead, you create an experience that brings the world to your brand, and—association—the world to your products and services.  

Consumers think differently about the facts


People think differently about the same set of facts. They’re molded by both their previous experiences and current situations.

This reality is why brands and marketers must do everything they can to understand how individuals, not just audiences, see the world. 

Saying the right thing isn’t enough


It is no longer enough for brands to say the right thing. Truly great companies will put their money where their mouth is going forward. Their inner workings will reflect the external message they’re projecting.

Consumers will no longer accept brands that say the right thing outwardly, but fail to do the right thing inwardly. 

Append and expand to grow


First-party data is crucial because it’s owned information, but it can’t drive the growth most CMOs are looking for on its own.

The key to growth lies in how a CMO appends and expands upon their first-party data. Every CMO that isn’t focusing on the expansion of their first-party data is making a mistake. 

Adoption of the “new” is accelerating


The speed at which consumers are adopting new media and new technology is accelerating.

Case in point?—Disney+. The platform launched a little over a year ago, and in 15 months it’s  as big as Netflix. 

The future needs to be a balancing act


Digital media is in flux, and the pendulum is swinging too strongly towards anti-ad sentiments.

In the future, there needs to be a balancing act between permission, the delivery of customized advertisements, and the preservation of diverse content derived from a diverse set of publishers. 

Looking for more trends CMOs must prepare for?


Read our marketing forecast, or contact us here.

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