Are we witnessing the end of the CMO? No, and stop asking
Mark RitsonMarketers should cease pontificating about the validity of CMOs and their time in post, and start focusing on how to do the job better.
Mark Ritson – Brand Leadership
Tesla is about to experience the seven perils of discounting
Mark RitsonBy discounting for the first time, Tesla is not only starting an electric vehicle price war, it is communicating its weakness to existing and future customers.
Suffering from impostor syndrome? The cure is simpler than you think
Mark RitsonMarketers are prone to impostor syndrome, but solid training and a more realistic view of your peers’ achievements will show your worries are unfounded.
Brands staying in Russia are making a statement of support for Putin
Mark RitsonBrands that continue to do business in Russia deserve no platform in our industry, our columnist argues.
Welcome to the new normal, it’s the same as the old one
Mark RitsonDespite dire predictions of Covid-driven decline for some sectors and exponential growth for others, we’re largely where we would have been if it had never happened.
Musicians like Neil Young lack the market power to force Spotify’s hand over Joe Rogan
Mark RitsonThe asymmetry between millions of available songs and the five companies dominating streaming means no artist can put Spotify in a corner.
The founder model works, even if Jack Dorsey didn’t for Twitter
Mark RitsonDorsey’s contention that founder-led businesses are overhyped doesn’t hold water. The right founder offers huge marketing advantage – that just wasn’t him.
Ritson on why successful marketers make time to listen
Marketing Week ReportersListening is a key attribute of high-performing marketers, alongside empathy, curiosity and an ability to make even the complex look simple, says Mark Ritson.
Ritson’s top 10 quotes from marketers who aren’t ‘dead white men’
Marketing Week ReportersMark Ritson called on the industry to help him compile a list of quotes from a diverse selection of marketers who better reflect the “powerful” and “brilliant” talent of today.
Jeff Bezos’s success at Amazon is down to one thing: focusing on the customer
Mark RitsonFor all Amazon’s innovation and invention, it is the world’s most valuable brand principally because its founder Jeff Bezos got to know his customers.
Customers’ benevolence won’t keep brands alive – we serve them, not the other way round
Mark RitsonBrands can’t expect customers to behave generously, or even reasonably, to save them from the Covid crisis. They must accept their situation with humility and find new ways to offer value to their markets.
Elon Musk will wish he got over his hatred of advertising long ago
Mark RitsonTesla’s founder has successfully built a brand by shunning ads – but they convince the mass market to pay a premium, and would deliver the profit margin boost the company sorely needs.
If ‘Black Lives Matter’ to brands, where are your black board members?
Mark RitsonBrands that profess to support racial justice on social media without a single black board member aren’t helping the cause, they’re just being hypocrites.
Everything will change forever after coronavirus…won’t it?
Mark RitsonPredictions of fundamental change after Covid-19 are driven by the biased perspectives of those making them – in reality, most things will go back to how they were.
Forget about empathetic emails and start making your brand money
Mark RitsonMarketers deal with crises through communications, but it is through product, price and distribution that we can make most difference to customers and keep the economy moving.