“CMOs build bridges between brands and customers, giving purpose to internal transformation while demonstrating to the rest of the C-suite the ROI in doing so,” Solis said.

While CMOs don’t typically lead R&D efforts, they are at the forefront of digital transformation and driving CX initiatives to compete for connected customers.

“Innovation centres connect to outside ecosystems and introduce new value by solving problems and creating opportunities. There’s still a lot to learn, but what’s clear is that no one solution is enough,” Solis said. “Companies must continue to invest in pilots that help teach stakeholders through trial and error how to compete differently.”

Less iteration, more innovation. It’s time to transform and take big risks and not just iterate all the time, Adamski-Torres learned from the presentation by Brian Solis, principal analyst at Altimeter, a Prophet company.

Brian Solis is a “Top 100 Social Media Marketing Influencer” in 2016, according to Buzzsomo.

According to the Science of Digital Marketing, Brian Solis is a top 100 influencer with over 270K followers.

Disruptive trends to guard against (or take advantage of)

Social media analyst Brian Solis recently outlined 26 disruptive trends for the remainder of the decade…

The New Brand… Goodbye sharing economy… Digital detox

So, strategically, what does that mean for CMOs? To find out, we turned to our network of top marketers and analysts, as we have done since 2011, and posed this year’s question: Digital transformation and becoming a “customer experience business” is clearly the future for marketing. What is the one thing CMOs must get right in 2017 to make that happen?

Customer experience is just that—what customers actually experience. CMOs must act less like “executives” or “marketers” to design meaningful, shareable, and unforgettable experiences in every moment of truth.
—Brian Solis

According to Brian Solis, not only are most businesses failing at the customer experience, but they are failing by design. As an analyst and anthropologist, he has researched the problem and offers an interesting and credible perspective. His book, X: The Experience When Business Meets Design, not only details why some companies kick ass in the experience department but also explains how the key to their success is understanding their customers on multiple levels. He outlines how customer experience is the new differentiator and how every business can make meaningful changes.