Do you know of someone in your professional network who has amazing superhuman marketing leadership powers? Then this person may be worthy to nominate for the 2018 TMSA Marketing Executive of the Year. Nominating someone is relatively easy, doesn’t require a lot of time in preparing the nomination, and there is no fee for a TMSA member to make the nomination. But the deadline is fast approaching (April 20) so make the nomination soon.
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In the meantime, here are five key characteristics that are most common in marketing superheroes.
1. Strategic Prowess. Make sure you have a direct line to the C-suite, have the attention of your top management, and completely understand the business goals of your organization. Only then can you apply and deploy marketing strategies and tactics that help to make those goals become reality.
2. Revenue Accountability. While metrics and revenue orientation is important, marketing leaders need to be responsible and own their involvement in revenue generation – or at least share this accountability with sales through effective collaboration. Today’s marketers no longer can claim success with ambiguous metrics like brand value or impressions. They need to demonstrate how marketing directly impacts the business and ensure their teams have this focus as well.
3. Customer Centricity. It's the role of marketing leaders to actually champion the “voice of the customer” and to share market insights that lead the company to success. Indeed, they must lead fundamental decisions involving corporate strategy (such as where to play and how to win), and be the marketing evangelists that help their teams and entire workforces to fully understand market opportunities, customer expectations, and how the company adds value to the customer relationship.
4. Smart Adaptability. As the marketplace and customer needs change, so must the marketing leader. Recent examples of this range from the use of social and mobile to how millennials behave differently from past decision-makers in transportation and logistics. Marketing superheroes know how to distinguish the power of real market trends from short-term, irrelevant ones, and how to react to these emerging trends by helping the company to make the right investments in time, resources and budgets.
5. Team Builders. One of the most difficult tasks facing a marketing leader is to build a team of specialists that is highly competent, strategic, revenue-accountable, customer centric, action-oriented, and adaptable. The successful marketing leader knows how to hire, train, direct motivate the right talent on their marketing teams for optimum business results.
So Who Are the Biggest Marketing Champions in Transportation and Logistics in Recent Years?
TMSA first launched its Marketing Executive of the Year award in 2003 when I recognized Greg Reid, Senior Vice President & Chief Communications Officer for Yellow Corp. at the time. Since then, TMSA has recognized many others who exemplify many of these superhero characteristics.
Who are the other past recipients of this prestigious award?
- Bonnie Voldeng, Director of Marketing for FedEx Services (2017 recipient)
- Marie-Chantal Savoy, Director of Innovation at CN (2016)\
- Elena Izakson, Vice President of Marketing at Hub Group (2015)
- Timothy Simpson, Head of North American Marketing & Communications, Maersk Line (2014)
- Jean Barnes, Director of Marketing, SMC3 (2013)
- Patrick O'Neil, Director of Corporate Communication, RailInc. (2012)
- Chip Overbey, VP Marketing & National Accounts, Old Dominion Freight Line (2011)
- George Abernathy, Chief Operating Officer of Transplace (2009)
- Tammy Beil, Vice President of Marketing, FedEx Freight (2008)
- Mike Russell, Vice President of Public Affairs, American Trucking Associations posthumously (2007)
- Chuck Lounsbury, Senior Vice President of Strategy & Marketing, Ryder (2006)
- Dick Metzler, Executive Vice President of DHL Express (2005)
> Learn more about how to nominate the Marketing Superhero in your network for the 2018 TMSA Marketing Executive of the Year.
(Note: TMSA also is seeking nominations for the Sales Executive of the Year)
