Jill Dougan on leading 1,200 marketers at Informa, a FTSE 100 giant

Killer one-liners from today’s Leaders' Forum event by Propolis: ❤️ “Fall in love with the problem, not the solution” – Ed Greig, Deloitte In a world obsessed with tactics, outputs and quick solutions, take time to deeply explore the problem or opportunity before jumping to a fixed outcome. 🚪 “Guide them through the lobby before you show them the penthouse” – Patrick Fagan, behavioural scientist Start with small, tailored nudges towards the goal rather than a full features reveal at the start. This builds buy-in and avoids the “Brain Bouncer” pushing people back to old ways of thinking. 💡 “Don’t just focus on ROI, but on ROO” – The IET Beyond financial return, demonstrate marketing’s role in delivering return on objectives. Show how investment in time, money, and people drives strategic business outcomes. 🌟 Leverage your “evangelists” – Multiple speakers shared this one Move beyond the “influencer” label. Evangelists create genuine advocacy, giving marketing more depth, respect and dimension. ⚠️ I'm intentionally not mentioning AI here, as everyone's getting a little bored of it... Okay, that's impossible. My AI take away is that the "boom" cycle of AI could simply be a replica of that which we've seen before a la dot com 😳 Thoughts on a postcard? #Insight #B2Bmarketing #ThoughtLeadership FYI I took zero photos aside from the view at lunch as I was so engrossed so apol's for that...

What if your marketing team was AI-native- building, testing, and scaling in days, not months? In this episode of Global Marketing Leaders, Rick Ton, Growth & GTM Leader, shares how he’s turning AI from buzzword to business advantage. He breaks down: ✅ How AI agents are transforming industries like real estate automation ✅ Why every marketer must start experimenting with AI now ✅ The mindset shift leaders need to align AI with business strategy Because tomorrow’s leaders won’t just use AI-they’ll build with it.

What if your marketing team was _______? I recently had the opportunity to sit down with the team at Pepper Content to explore the state of marketing. We did not just talk about AI tools. We talked about what happens when you design your roles, workflows, and culture from day one. A few takeaways I shared: 🔍 AI native teams do not bolt on tools. They build workflows where data, insights, and creative loops flow automatically. ⚙️ Role definitions shift. Think prompt engineers, growth marketers with rotating priorities, and ethics liaisons alongside traditional marketers. 📊 Clear success and failure criteria matter. From corporate outcomes to long term impact, alignment helps teams move faster and take smarter risks. 🌍 Purpose over vanity. Great marketing does not chase “bad money” or vanity metrics. It aligns with mission, builds long term value, and earns trust. The article and interview captures some of my journey across Meta, Walmart, Under Armour, Walgreens, and more, and how those experiences shape how I think about building marketing teams today.

#Artificial_intelligence #marketing #CMO #marketingstrategy #AI Driving Growth in the AI Era: The CMO's New Playbook 📢 Marketing leaders face a pivotal moment as AI transforms their role from brand stewards to growth drivers. With only 30% of CEOs confident in their CMO’s ability to fuel growth, and nearly 37% of marketing campaigns underperforming, it’s clear that traditional approaches no longer suffice. 📢 From closing the ‘Intelligence Gap’ to mastering AI-driven personalization, discover how modern CMOs are transforming marketing from a cost center into a growth engine. In this FREE Guide, you will learn: 📌 Why the CMO role must evolve from brand steward to growth driver 📌 How to close the ‘Intelligence Gap’ that’s holding back personalization efforts 📌 What it takes to align with the C-suite for successful AI adoption 📌 How to measure success with new metrics that matter in the AI era 📌 Why personalization leaders grow exponentially faster than laggards 📌 How to transform marketing into a data-driven profit center 💻 Download today to future-proof your marketing leadership. https://lnkd.in/gXJ_rj8R

Your audience doesn’t care about you. They don’t care about your product. They don’t care about your clever AI-generated post. They care about one thing: Does your message cut through the noise and hit them where it matters? Most leaders are leaving opportunities on the table because their message is weak. It doesn’t inspire trust. It doesn’t spark action. It doesn’t make people think “Hell yes, this is for me.” That’s where we come in. On September 11th at 2 PM, our team is running a free webinar: AI Advantage: Build Your “Hell-Yes” Message in 60 Minutes. We’ll show you how to build a message that: • Stops the scroll. • Makes people pay attention. • And drives them to act. Want the link? Comment YES below and I’ll send it over. #AIAdvantage #MessagingMatters #LeadershipDevelopment #BusinessCoaching #Meant4More

A Very warm welcome to my new series “The Human Edge” - Why Your Personal Impact Is Now Your Ultimate Business Strategy** Last week I watched a CEO completely lose the room whilst pitching to investors. It was a catastrophic moment for him and cost him a unique opportunity. Not because his numbers were wrong. Not because his strategy was flawed. But because his presentation was indistinguishable from the dozens of other AI-polished pitches the investors had seen that week. Perfect slides. Perfect structure. Perfect… and perfectly forgettable. Here’s what I’ve learned after 20+ years as a TV journalist and communications consultant, working with C-suite leaders across industries: AI can replicate your competence. It cannot replicate your presence. While everyone’s obsessing over prompt engineering and AI tools, the smartest executives are doubling down on what technology can’t touch: → The ability to command a room (virtual or physical) → Building genuine trust through authentic vulnerability  → Reading the room and adapting in real-time → Creating the kind of connection that turns stakeholders into advocates The leaders who understand this shift aren’t just surviving the AI revolution - they’re using it as a competitive advantage. Because while AI gets better at sounding human, the leaders who show up as authentically, unmistakably themselves become irreplaceable. That’s why I’m launching **“The Human Edge”** - a series exploring what it really means to lead with impact in an AI-first world. We’ll tackle the questions that keep you awake: • How do you build executive presence when everyone sounds the same? • What does authentic leadership look like when authenticity can be faked? • How do you master the virtual stage when that’s where decisions get made? • Why your personal brand is now your business strategy Because your humanity isn’t just nice to have anymore. It’s your sustainable competitive advantage. Ready to explore what that looks like for you? Read more https://lnkd.in/eHZbxk-D? ----- *What’s your experience been? Are you finding it harder or easier to stand out as a leader in our AI-driven world?* #leadership #executivepresence #AI #personalbranding

AI is transforming how marketing teams make decisions—fast. But the real challenge isn’t just adopting tools—it’s making them work for your people. What’s your top priority when integrating AI into your team? -Reskilling employees -Improving communication -Redesigning roles -Building trust & transparency Comment below with your choice—then see how AI-powered tools can help you prioritize projects, track ROI, and align marketing with business goals. Read more:https://lnkd.in/eah3KyYw #AIMarketing #Leadership #DigitalTransformation #FutureOfWork #MarketingStrategy

Humor isn’t just about laughs—it’s a business strategy. The right joke at the right time lowers defenses, opens doors, and makes people far more receptive to your message. In this episode, we unpack marketing strategies where humor, AI, and brand consistency give SMBs the edge to create engagement that actually drives results. Catch the full conversation here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gYdm2EKv #communication #psychology #leadership #influence

Your competitors aren't just playing the same game anymore—they're changing the rules while you're still figuring out the moves. The companies pulling ahead aren't necessarily smarter or better funded. They're just better informed. They know what's working in their market before their competitors even test it. They spot opportunities while others are still analyzing last quarter's data. Here's what separates the leaders from the followers: automated competitive intelligence that works around the clock. While your team manually checks competitor websites and social media once a week, AI is tracking pricing changes, content strategies, product launches, and market positioning in real-time. The businesses thriving right now have turned competitive intelligence from a monthly report into a daily advantage. They're not reacting to market moves—they're anticipating them. Your competitive edge isn't better products. It's better information, faster. Ready to stop playing catch-up and start setting the pace? 🚀 Book your free AI Business Empowerment Roadmap: https://lnkd.in/eaSbxazc #SmarterRevolution #CompetitiveIntelligence #AIAutomation #BusinessStrategy #MarketIntelligence #CompetitiveAdvantage #BusinessEmpowerment #AITransformation #StrategicPlanning #MarketAnalysis #BusinessGrowth #Innovation #Leadership #DigitalTransformation #AIRevolution

Humor isn’t just about laughs—it’s a business strategy. The right joke at the right time lowers defenses, opens doors, and makes people far more receptive to your message. In this episode, we unpack marketing strategies where humor, AI, and brand consistency give SMBs the edge to create engagement that actually drives results. Catch the full conversation here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gEnQQfkX #communication #psychology #leadership #influence