Where do students from an MBA program go to seek answers about the challenging creative and marketing landscape? Steve Sweitzer, Woodruff Sweitzer’s Chief Creative Officer of course. Students from the Crosby MBA Program at the University of Missouri (MU) interviewed Steve Sweitzer, Chief Creative Officer of Woodruff Sweitzer. From CMO challenges to the evolution of personal-oriented marketing, check out Steve’s take:
Crosby MBA Program: How has the job as a company’s marketing executive changed over the past few years?
Sweitzer: The CMOs of large companies in particular, face more pressure than ever to provide
quicker results. The average tenure for a CMO is less than 18 months.
Crosby MBA Program: What are your primary responsibilities as a marketing executive?
Sweitzer: I am responsible for the creative product in Kansas City, Missouri, Columbia, Missouri and Calgary, Alberta. I create ideas for clients in the online world as well as the offline world. It is my job to bring unexpected ideas to our clients.
Crosby MBA Program: What are the greatest challenges in your position?
Sweitzer: One of my main areas of focus is to keep our staff enthusiastic about the work they are doing. Wicked smart people need challenging projects and interesting clients to work with. If they are doing great work, this all takes care of itself. It is important to us that we stay fresh. Repeating old ideas does not work here.
Crosby MBA Program: What changes do you foresee in the field of marketing over the next 5 years?
Sweitzer: I think you will see more and more clients return to or add new technology that will enable marketing methods that are personal, one-on-one efforts. Experience marketing and event marketing will continue to grow in importance. Consumers want personal interaction with the brands that are part of their lives. Whereas now, you may have Facebook, Twitter and other current technology leading your messaging to clients, those tactics will be used to support more intimate approaches.
Crosby MBA Program: What are the qualifications of a chief marketing officer?
Sweitzer: Education, of course, is first and foremost. But those who become excellent listeners will succeed over others. You must listen to the C-suite, investors, customers and trusted advisors. If you don’t listen carefully, you’ll be looking for another job.










