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Early-stage traction is no guarantee of long-term success.
There’s a common misconception that you don’t need marketing if you have a good product. That’s not true. To make it in the long run, you need the ability to honestly assess your company’s needs and deep knowledge of your product and consumer. That’s where real marketing comes in: market research, data gathering, and studying user behaviour.
Today I’m excited to share my conversation with marketing expert Gary Briggs, the first CMO of Facebook and an experienced senior executive and board member at multiple companies leading the tech space.
In this episode, Gary and I talk about the elements of a promising idea, why passion is essential, how to sustain early success, what founders need to understand about marketing, challenges faced by Caribbean founders, the best way to manage your time as a founder, and so much more.
Enjoy the episode!
About Gary Briggs
Many marketing leaders would be thrilled to rise to the top of one heralded brand – today’s guest Gary Briggs has done so at over six companies. In his early days, he directed brand strategy at PepsiCo and IBM. Later, he led the marketing charge at eBay, PayPal, Google, Motorola Mobility, and Facebook, where he was the first Chief Marketing Officer. These days, Gary sits on the boards of Etsy and Petco while serving as a Senior Advisor at McKinsey and Company.
Highlights
The critical elements to coming up with a great idea
What Petco, eBay, and Etsy showed Gary about the value of passion
CEOs need to understand the nuances of the business and its customers deeply
How to sustain early success
“When things get hard, we work harder through them.” – Mark Zuckerberg
Every single company needs marketing
What founders need to understand about marketing
Why you need a data scientist more than a CMO
Few zip codes are benefiting from the wealth and opportunities created by technology
Challenges faced by Caribbean founders around access to talent and capital
Tapping into a community of people outside your company
Figuring out compensation structures for yourself and your team
Communication is at the core of building a great company culture
Your role as a founder and how to create a healthy dynamic with the board
Managing your time as a founder
Lessons from Larry Page of Google and Reed Hastings of Netflix
The best companies make decisions faster and learn faster
Your job as a marketer is to manage the conversations about your brand
Why it’s still worth it to utilise non-digital platforms
Don’t chase the tactic; chase the conversation
Surrounding yourself with the right people
Resources & Recommendations
Gary Briggs on Twitter @GBriggs
Gary Briggs’ Commencement Speech King School 2017
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Composer: Seretse Small, Founder, Avant Academy of Music
