TOMORROW’S CMOS WILL GO BEYOND STORYTELLING TO BECOME TRUE BUSINESS ARCHITECTS

ASHU MEHROTRA
VP, Marketing, TP-Link
 
SAVIO ALMEIDA
AVP, Marketing, TP-Link
 
“Marketing earlier was largely about communication and campaigns. Today, it is about shaping growth strategy and ensuring customer experience is at the centre of business decisions. Our role has evolved from being a promoter of products to becoming a partner in defining business direction ensuring that every marketing initiative ties directly to revenue, customer retention, and long-term brand value.

We have moved beyond vanity metrics like impressions or likes. The focus is on tangible outcomes that includes creating a pipeline contribution, customer acquisition cost (CAC), customer lifetime value (CLV), and marketing- influenced revenue. Engagement is still important, but it’s tied back to conversion and retention, ensuring marketing as a growth engine rather than just a communication function.

AI & Automation – The Tool for Marketers

AI and automation have transformed the way we operate. From predictive analytics that anticipate customer needs, to automation that personalizes engagement at scale, technology enables us to be faster and more precise. For example, AI helps us segment audiences dynamically and deliver hyper-personalized content, while advanced analytics ensures every decision is backed by data, not assumptions. AI today is slowly and gradually becoming a tool for marketers and helping them to enhance their performance along with helping keep a track from initiation and ideation to execution of various activities.

The CMO of the Future

The Future CMO won’t just be a storyteller but they will be a business builder. With deep knowledge of customers, data, and market shifts, CMOs will play a pivotal role in shaping overall strategy, and not just marketing execution. Going forward, the marketer will be more of a business leader rather than someone just filling in the gap for providing marketing activities.”