4 Digital Marketing Tips from CMOs

As a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), I know firsthand that staying ahead in a constantly changing digital space is critical for success. With experience across various industries, I understand what it takes to navigate shifts and keep strategies ahead of the curve. It’s not easy and to help you do the same, I’m sharing top insights from fellow CMOs and Brand Officers — seasoned experts from diverse industries — that can enhance your approach and make your daily work on social more impactful.

Before I get to the insights, let’s briefly touch on a CMO's role in shaping and driving impactful social media marketing strategies within their organization. Basically, what does a CMO do? 

Chief marketing officers leverage their expertise to craft comprehensive plans that encompass various marketing channels — digital, traditional or emerging — ensuring consistent brand messaging and authentic customer engagement. Their leadership and foresight enable them to design innovative and resilient strategies that make marketing teams capable of navigating any industry shifts that come their way.

In my opinion, one of the most important responsibilities of a CMO is fostering cross-functional collaboration and bringing together teams across various departments to align their efforts and maximize impact. This holistic approach results in unified campaigns that remain agile, align with overall business goals and respond to evolving market trends.

The ever-changing nature of digital marketing means success depends more than ever on adaptability and forward-thinking. My role as a CMO is to act as an architect of strategic change. My day-to-day requires blending data with creative innovation to empower my team and maintain a competitive edge in any market.

The following perspectives from fellow Chief Marketing and Brand Officers reveal how strategic shifts can reshape a brand’s future. These expert insights provide a unique window into how top companies like Best Buy and lululemon adapt and thrive in today’s unpredictable market and how their marketing strategies are evolving to keep pace.

Integrate Product With Purpose To Build Community

No one excels at community-based marketing quite like Nikki Neuburger, the Chief Brand and Product Activation Officer at lululemon. The brand’s social strategy prioritizes the stories and experiences of its community, effortlessly integrating its products into narratives centered around personal wellness and balanced living in an authentic, meaningful way. 

A company that genuinely listens to and understands its community can create strategies that go beyond product sales, forging unbreakable, lifelong brand loyalty. By leveraging real stories that resonate from brand ambassadors and Creators like yoga instructors, professional athletes and gym owners who are deeply passionate about wellness, lululemon leverages their influence to promote feeling your best — with their products in tow. It’s about authentically incorporating their clothing, equipment and accessories into an active, healthy life. These narratives highlight individual journeys while seamlessly showcasing the brand’s products as part of a lifestyle centered around active living and well-being.

The brand's target social demographic includes active individuals of all fitness levels, making digital marketing challenging when these consumers are offline. Lululemon has developed a visual marketing strategy that integrates online and offline experiences to bridge this gap and strengthen its bond with its community. 

Through sponsored initiatives like the Noname Project, the brand offers spaces for people to come together and train for marathons in NYC, fostering connections, building community and enhancing brand visibility. By keeping training sessions (and other fitness classes, like Yoga sessions) free, lululemon lowers barriers to entry, reaches diverse audiences and promotes inclusivity.

What can all levels of digital marketers take away from lululemon’s marketing approach? Listen to your community, let them show you what they value and use that insight to shape your brand’s future.

‍Tip: Tools like Dash Hudson’s Community Manager make understanding your audience’s sentiment quick and easy. A connected inbox also allows you to respond to and address your community’s needs as soon as they arise — never miss an opportunity to connect again.

Inspire Customers and Make It Personal

At some point, most established brands must evolve to keep pace with changing customer behavior. Ignoring these shifts and failing to adapt can lead to declining sales — or, in the worst-case scenario, the brand's end altogether. Best Buy's CMO, Jennie Weber, understands this better than anyone and is guiding the brand to grow and adapt alongside its customers.

For over six decades, customers have looked to Best Buy for electronics education and selection. Today, with information readily accessible online, customers can educate themselves. They don’t necessarily need to visit a store to have someone explain the latest gadgets. Recognizing this change, Weber is adjusting Best Buy’s content marketing strategy to meet modern needs. With video content emerging as the preferred format for consumers to discover and learn about technology, Best Buy is ramping up its YouTube strategy. The brand is launching curated playlists tailored for discovery, including must-have roundups, tech tips, unboxings, product reviews and expert interviews. 

Best Buy strategically creates content that aligns with what customers are actively searching for online, even before they reach the purchasing stage. By offering valuable, informative content and implementing YouTube SEO tactics for search, Best Buy positions itself in front of the right audience at the right time. This way, when customers are ready to buy their next gaming keyboard or sound machine, Best Buy is the first brand that comes to mind. This multi-funnel approach also helps the brand remain top-of-mind for consumers. 

Scaling personalization can be challenging, but it’s what consumers expect. Best Buy has recently launched new app features designed to make the discovery and shopping experience more personalized for users. App-based marketing lets brands gather valuable data on customer preferences, behavior and interests, which is crucial data to create targeted and compelling content strategies that align with the individual.

Tip: Tools like Dash Hudson’s YouTube Insights make understanding the performance of your video content strategy, quick and easy — without missing any vital data. Segment your content by topic, Shorts or campaign to identify trends and leverage these insights to boost your channel’s watch time.

Leverage Consumer Insights To Make Your Product More Relevant

No matter the industry, it really boils down to identifying your target audience’s needs and positioning your product as the solution. Seasoned UNIQLO CMO, Jalin Wu knows this inside and out. She’s been at the helm of UNIQLO’s marketing strategy for over 10 years and through it all, it always comes back to knowing what your audience wants.

As she’s mentioned in past interviews, “...the product they buy or brand they choose really depends on whether you know them better (than other brands) or not.” 

Understanding your audience means knowing where they spend their time (whether on TikTok, Instagram or Facebook), how they like to consume content (like static images and text, long-form videos, or short-form videos, like Instagram Reels), the type of content they are drawn to (like UGC, product photos, creator content or informational posts), and their preferred way of completing transactions (in-store, online, through an app or via social commerce). 

Once you understand your customer at this level, addressing the problem your product solves becomes much more straightforward. Take UNIQLO’s Fleece Jacket, for example. This staple product has been part of their collection for 30 years, evolving to be warmer, softer and more lightweight — enhancements that customers wanted in a high-quality fleece jacket. And whose life isn’t better with a warmer, softer, lighter, cozy fleece?

Tip: Once you know where and how your target audience likes to spend their time, A sentiment analysis tool like Dash Hudson’s AI-powered Social Listening can help you identify emerging issues and opportunities your product can address. 

Content That Speaks to a Global Audience

As brands increasingly aim to connect with international audiences, getting your global marketing strategy right is more important than ever. But it’s not easy, and getting it wrong can lead to many sleepless nights. Marian Lee, Netflix's Chief Marketing Officer, understands the importance of engaging with diverse cultural contexts. Under Lee’s leadership, Netflix has tailored its marketing strategies to resonate with audiences worldwide, expanding its global reach. Lee's innovative approach has even earned her the top position on Forbes' 2024 World's Most Influential CMOs list.

Lee’s strategic pivot from marketing Netflix as a streaming service to spotlighting its content has been highly successful. If you've ever attended a Bridgerton-themed ball in your city, you have Lee to thank. As part of the show's creative launch strategy, Bridgerton balls were hosted in cities around the globe, creating immersive experiences that captured the essence of the series. To amplify the show's presence even further, Netflix partnered with an array of brands like Williams Sonoma, Ruggable, and International Delight to develop Bridgerton-inspired products, seamlessly integrating the series into everyday life and extending its reach beyond the screen.

This approach also extends the brand's social media reach, as these types of brand collaborations help engage a broader audience. Partnering with global brands amplifies this effect, letting Netflix tap into established customer bases worldwide. The result is a strategy that pays off tenfold, boosting visibility, generating buzz and encouraging deeper audience connections across multiple channels.

Tip: Tap into audience insights with Dash Hudson’s Social Analytics and Reporting, which provides a deeper look at audience demographics, including their location, age and when they’re most active, to help you strategically hone global campaigns. ‍

Digital marketing never stands still, and staying ahead means constantly adapting, listening to your audience and embracing innovation in your strategies. The insights and tips shared by industry-leading CMOs — from building authentic communities and personalizing customer experiences to leveraging global strategies and consumer insights — underscore the importance of blending creativity with data-driven decision-making.

Whether integrating products into purpose-driven campaigns, scaling personalization with technology or crafting content that speaks to an international audience, these proven strategies are powerful tools to keep your brand competitive.

By learning from the best in the business, you can future-proof your marketing efforts, cultivate deeper connections with your audience, and drive meaningful impact for your brand. Start applying these tips today, and let your marketing efforts evolve to meet the challenges of tomorrow’s digital environment.

Dash Hudson empowers marketers to implement impactful strategies like those mentioned above by top CMOs, offering tools that transform insights and data analysis into actionable results. With Community Manager and AI-powered Social Listening, you can understand audience sentiment, track trends, and build authentic connections. 

Platform-specific tools like YouTube Insights and visual trends features like Visual IQ help optimize the performance of earned and owned content while tailoring campaigns for global audiences. Dash Hudson’s predictive analytics ensure your creative assets resonate, enabling data-driven decisions that refine products, enhance customer engagement, and drive measurable results — all in one streamlined platform.

What are the responsibilities of a CMO?

A Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) leads an organization’s marketing strategy to drive growth and brand awareness. Their primary responsibilities include developing and implementing strategies aligned with company goals, maintaining a consistent brand identity, and leading market research to understand customer needs and trends. They design and manage marketing campaigns, ensure a cohesive customer experience, and guide the marketing team. CMOs also manage budgets to maximize ROI, track performance using KPIs, and optimize strategies. Staying current with industry trends and overseeing public relations and partnerships are essential aspects of the role, requiring a balance of creativity, strategic thinking, and analytical skills.

What is the difference between a CMO and a marketing director?

A CMO is a top executive responsible for shaping and overseeing the entire marketing strategy, aligning it with the company’s long-term goals, and collaborating with other executives. They focus on high-level strategy and big-picture initiatives.

A Marketing Director manages day-to-day marketing operations, develops and executes specific campaigns, and leads teams. They focus on implementing strategies and achieving short — to mid-term objectives and reporting to senior leadership.

In a nutshell, the CMO sets strategic direction, while the Marketing Director executes and manages operations.

What does a fractional CMO do?

A fractional CMO is a part-time, outsourced marketing executive who provides high-level strategic leadership to companies. They develop and oversee marketing strategies, guide teams, and align efforts with business goals, offering experienced expertise without the commitment of a full-time CMO.