CMO excellence comes down to translating the customer problem and solution you’re trying to tackle into a narrative that galvanises the whole organisation to support it for Pickens.

“Right now, the real challenge is to understand the customer and the organisation. Leading a creatively-driven agency we’re always thinking of agnostic creative solutions. But the CMO challenge is do I know my customer inside-out to be able to answer those challenges in interesting and unique ways. And how do I translate that story internally in the complex organisations these CMOs have to navigate through,” she says.  

And that means data plus creativity. In judging the inaugural CMO Awards, Pickens saw data being used as insight or measurement in making this happen. She’s now keen to see more data and insight to drive ideas – including creative ones.

“I’m exited to see people using it more in utility, innovation and at the heart of ideas as well,” she says. “If we were a creative agency that didn’t understand the role of data, we wouldn’t survive the modern market… I see data as a rich informer of creativity, but I also believe and value human-originate, authentic, truly unique breakthrough ideas that come through that.”