“A lot of people are feeling stuck at the moment.” Sara Tate, European Transformation Practice Partner at growth consultancy TwentyFirstCenturyBrand, is bringing to life the pressure of a New Year. A pressure exacerbated when that year is 2025: a year of global chaos.

For marketing leaders, the need to not succumb to being a passenger in your career has never been greater. While your New Year's resolutions may already be a distant memory, setting a vision and staying true to that vision has never been so important to thrive.  

Tate is well-versed on what it takes to succeed as a marketing leader having set out to create the ‘definitive ‘year 1’ playbook for the world’s most influential, brand-ambitious CMOs’ in the CMO Thrive Guide. An endeavour which gives Tate a laser-sharp view of how marketing leaders can make a sustainable impact in their first 100 days in a role and beyond.

“What is really important is demonstrating progress,” says Tate. Momentum is everything. As she explains: “It is progress that gives people the energy to go on.” In essence, getting out of the starting blocks and racking up the small wins is what keeps people going. Tate notes that it is why we all hate our New Year's Fitness goals, because we haven’t yet seen any progress. Small steps are less daunting.

For CMOs this focus on building momentum through incremental wins means that leadership requires a dual strategy. Setting an overall vision of where you want to go, while at the same time digging into getting those small wins under your belt to build momentum.

The power of people 

Tate, who is an award-winning industry leader, has built her career on a deep curiosity and fascination with what really motivates people. She had stints at TBWA\London where she was CEO and Mother London where she was Managing Director.  

Her debut book, The Rebuilders, which was written alongside VMLY&R’s Chief Strategy Officer Anna Vogt, was shortlisted at the Business Book Awards 2023. The book was written as Tate successfully completed her MSc in Executive Coaching and Organisational Change. Better understanding people is the red thread which runs through all her creative endeavours.  

Tate joined TwentyFirstCenturyBrand as European Partner in May 2023 with an ambitious remit to establish a new company offering, centred around behavioural change and brand transformation. At the  heart of this remit is understanding people. A long-term approach which eschews the industry’s tendency to chase the seemingly urgent, at the expense of the important.  

She quotes David Wheldon, the well-respected former Global Director of Brand at Vodafone, who famously advised marketing leaders ‘not to be the dog that barks at every passing car.’ As Tate explains: “We are in an industry built to be obsessed with the new, the role of the CMO is to look beyond that.”

While Tate believes it is vital to have brilliant people in the business who are up to speed with every new advancement in technology, it is vital that CMOs aren’t constantly distracted. She explains: “The CMO’s role is to dive deeper to ensure that teams are set up to drive competitive advantage over the next five years.” 

Beware ‘business as usual’ 

Playing the long game isn’t always easy in a complex and competitive industry landscape. Both on an organisational and individual level it's easy to get distracted. “Every client I have spoken to recently is at capacity,” says Tate. “They don’t have the space for transformation as the ‘business as usual’ keeps them so busy.”

A state of play which explains the disconnect between the headlines on how AI will transform creativity and the number of teams that are set up to use AI as a productivity and time-saving tool. “There are some really useful time-saving tools and innovations that can help you understand customers with AI,” says Tate.

“Generative AI really allows brands to create so much more consumer facing content,” she adds. Yet at the same time, you can’t simply outsource your marketing strategy to ChatGPT.  

“You really need to know what your brand is all about and have that really strong foundation of understanding,” explains Tate. “It is always a balance of what is consistent and iconic for your brand, you can’t overlook brand strategy,” she adds.

Building cultures of curiosity and creativity 

In the ever-evolving balance between people and process, Tate advocates for overcoming the overwhelm that comes hand-in-hand with new technology. “The good news is that people are very motivated by the same things: purpose, autonomy, the ability to be seen and heard, and work that challenges them,” she explains.  

A universal truth which she believes means that leaders need to lean on what they know about motivating people.  

While the industry-wide debate on hybrid working has turned increasingly binary, Tate is focused on what actually motivates people in their roles. “One of the biggest things that impacts how much someone enjoys work is their relationship with their direct manager,” she explains, adding: “Think about your direct reports and how you build your relationship with them.”

The building blocks of these relationships may well be different in a virtual, hybrid or in-real-life setting but the intentions remain the same. A simple yet overlooked truth remains that expanding your limited time and energy as a leader on building those meaningful relationships is crucial. 

The enduring power of purpose 

While purpose has become a highly politicised topic in marketing circles, Tate has taken a long-term view of the importance of purpose beyond any individual industry hype cycle.

She explains: “Purpose should not be something that sits in a silo outside of the core commercial needs of the business. Positive cultural change can be intrinsically tied to commercial gains.”

When it comes to internal transformation Tate points to the ‘acres’ of research which underlines that purpose really matters to employees. “Leaders need to understand that a company's North Star acts as a magnet for attracting and retaining top talent,” adds Tate.

Noting that across the industry talent engagement is at a really low level, unlocking the discretionary effort of employees is a huge competitive advantage. “Don’t walk past the value of what purpose can do internally,” says Tate. 

Rewriting the internal narrative for marketing teams 

For marketing leaders entering a new business, establishing both cross-functional relationships and team relationships is key.  

In the midst of wider cultural chaos and industry-wide transformation, The Thrive Guide urges marketing leaders to control the controllables. Tate points to the advice of Jonathan Mildenhall, Executive Chair and Co-Founder of TwentyFirstCenturyBrand, and one of the world’s most creative marketers.

Mildenhall lands on a singular truth that marketers in the business of storytelling need to get better at crafting narratives that underpin the role of marketing as a growth engine for business. “The opportunity is there for marketing leaders to rewrite the narrative on the value of marketing to a business when they join a new company,” explains Tate.

The Thrive Guide includes tangible examples of marketing leaders who have successfully put this ethos into practice. Jane Wakely, Executive Vice President, Chief Consumer and Marketing Officer at PepsiCo, made a point of rebranding the marketing team as ‘growth architects’.

Tate shares that building culture is rooted in rewriting the narrative and then building your own rituals to share that culture with your wider marketing team through action. This action can be anything from regular events, sharing books, or even using a buzzer when team members share great ideas and speak up. “It’s the little things you do that signal to your team that they can behave in different ways that really matter,” adds Tate.

Overcoming overwhelm 

With a growing number of data points showing marketing leaders are both overstretched and overwhelmed, many might say they are surviving instead of thriving. A state of play which risks marketing turnaround energy translating into turn-and-run energy. A pressure which can be particularly acute during the crucial first 100 days in a new role. Ruthless prioritisation is crucial.

She shares the advice of writer and Chief Creative Officer, Peter Souter who urged Tate to ‘practice saying no with a yes energy.” In essence, unlearning what you are taught early in your career. The urge to people please and say yes to everything can all too quickly leave leaders in a position where they are saying yes to everyone and everything except themselves. “As a CMO you don’t want to overpromise and underdeliver,” explains Tate.  

Setting a pace, a sustainable way of working for both the business and individuals, is vital to success. This is why the Thrive Guide contains an ‘anchors’ tool which supports leaders in navigating their non-negotiables. Whether that's a school run, exercise or sleep; non-negotiables matter.

Curiosity is not an afterthought 

When it comes to building cultures of creativity and curiosity Tate is intentional about the importance of deeds, not words. “If you want to create a culture of creativity and curiosity in your business don’t leave it to chance,” she explains.

She advocates for a three step behavioural change process designed to ‘inspire, equip and sustain’ culture. The question she poses is: ‘How are you going to inspire?’ The answer usually lies in bringing the outside in, whether through a speaker or a film night, the focus is all about breathing in the oxygen of creativity.

“The key is to show that you are inspiring your teams through action and behaviour, not words,” she explains. But this is not just a ‘one and done’ approach, the key to success is about maintaining momentum. “Whether it's books, newspapers, magazines or signing up to a platform like Creativebrief, it is all about sustaining culture,” she explains.

As Tate says: “If you look out there right now there is so much going on and the people and businesses that are cutting through are those which are the best storytellers.”

She continues: “The skills that great CMOs have can be used to create a lot of clarity and momentum. That clarity of vision can do so much to transform a business.” At a time when many brand leaders face hostile economic markets, the reminder that tiny acts of creativity and curiosity can have an exponential impact on growth. Great storytelling still matters.

Join Creativebrief and TwentyFirstCenturyBrand’s Sara Tate for a deep dive into how leading organisations like the LEGO Group and PepsiCo have cracked the code for building a culture of curiosity. Sara will draw on insights from the CMO Thrive Guide, designed to help marketing leaders navigate the complexities and demands of the role and thrive. She will unpack a methodology for building curious teams and share inspiring examples from inside world class marketing departments. 

To express your interest please email [email protected]