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To understand the top talent issues facing marketers, I sought insight from 9 C-level executives.
Lou Paskalis, President and Chief Operating Officer of MMA Global
“Simply put, marketing is increasingly competing with tech for talent, whether it’s coders, analysts, experience engineers or change agents, often-times the big platform companies are doing a better job of attracting this high-value talent then the companies that they ostensibly serve.”
Christine Purcell, Chief Marketing Officer, Twin Health
“I have a fun problem to solve. Twin Health grew +50% this year and our 2022 projections continue this trend, so my biggest challenge is also a top priority – hiring strong, passionate talent and building a world-class marketing team. The Great Resignation made it clear that not only are people craving growth opportunities but also careers that provide personal fulfillment. I am investing to find people that are truly motivated by the impact Twin is having in changing people’s lives, and also in being inspired by shaping our brand, our business and the company we’ve always wanted to work for.”
Zeynep Inanoglu Ozdemir, CMO, Palo Alto Networks
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“For someone who has joined a new company during the pandemic, switching jobs can be as easy as switching off one laptop and switching on another unless they internalized a company culture that they really appreciate. It can be hard to convey cultural elements of the workplace when everyone is remote/hybrid and focused on getting the work done. So, we are working harder to create opportunities to build meaningful relationships with colleagues, teammates, and managers that embody our culture and convey our mission to all our employees but especially to the new ones. Hybrid work is the promise for that in 2022 – retaining the flexibility around employee choice but also allowing that space for smaller groups to connect and engage in person, to foster a creative process that is so fundamental to our discipline.”
Marina MacDonald, CMO, Red Roof Inn
“This builds off our key business challenge and it is simply the demand to invest time in our people; to make sure we’re taking the time to get everyone on the team up to par on evolving expectations. The world is changing in ways that most of us hadn’t anticipated, and our marketing team is contributing to our business successes in ways that we hadn’t seen, either. Team members are taking on new responsibilities that require new skills. Our brand technology is evolving, so our team needs to evolve to keep up with it. As a leader, I’m committed to making sure that our people have both the skills and the tools to take on expanding roles and to continue to contribute to the broader Red Roof success. That takes time and energy, but ultimately, it’s worth every moment.”
Gretchen Garrigues, held Global CMO roles at Manulife, First Data (Fiserv), and GE Capital
“Talent retention continues to be a top issue and it’s critical that the team sees that the CMO is personally engaged in helping them achieve their career aspirations, whether that means learning a new skill, getting promoted, or moving for a global assignment. One tactic that I’ve found to be very effective is offering top talent the opportunity to rotate through short-term assignments in different teams, business units, or geographies. If a team in Singapore, for example, needs help with performance marketing and you have someone in Boston with relevant skills and experience, offer that person the opportunity to share his or her expertise over the course of several weeks or months. That’s just one example, and there are many ways to do it, but the idea is to offer career development experiences and establish a culture of sharing and learning.
Josh Cole, Chief Marketing and Digital Officer, TITLE Boxing Club (former CMO, Sky Zone)
“The recruiting and retention of well-qualified team members is the most pressing talent issue, especially for digital and data-focused marketing roles. The hot job market has increased salary expectations and decreased the taboo about job hopping. As long as a significant number of well-funded companies continue to aggressively compete for talent and are willing to absorb the costs — both financial and cultural — of hiring short-stint employees, the heightened challenges around recruiting and retention will remain.”
Mollie Spilman, CRO, Oracle Advertising & Marketing
“The Great Resignation phenomenon is real across all industries right now. I believe the pandemic has made people rethink what they want to do for a living. Many of the people that have left my organization are not going to competitors in the same industry – but changing professions altogether. This makes it harder to retain talent but also harder to hire talent. My approach to this market reality is to try to communicate more often, and more succinctly, why our work is important and meaningful. I also think sharing career growth opportunities in the company also helps paint the picture of what the future for the individuals on my team looks like. In addition, even virtually, to try and connect people more to each other personally.”
Doug Zarkin, CMO, Pearle Vision
“Work-life balance.”
Bruce Hershey, CMO Piper’s Scratch Pizza Shop (former CMO, Tailored Brands)
“Finding the right teammates. In today’s environment we are seeing less and less qualified applicants.”
Join the Discussion: @KimWhitler
