CMO Strategies: eBay, Hyundai, Duolingo and other advertisers share key tactics for marketing channels
This article is part of a special research series on where CMOs are investing. More from the series →
This is a bonus behind-the-scenes look at our conversations with executives for Digiday’s CMO Strategies series. The series analyzes key marketer strategies and challenges across leading marketing channels, including retail media, social media, ad-supported streaming and display advertising.
Digiday recently spoke with executives at Athletic Brewing, Duolingo, eBay, Georgia-Pacific, Haleon, Hyundai, Instacart, Natalie’s Juice, Tapestry and Welch’s about their current marketing strategies within four key media channels. What follows are their thoughts on advertising tactics, preferences and challenges with social media, retail media, display ads and ad-supported streaming.
How marketers navigate across marketing channels
Each of the four channels Digiday+ Research examined in our CMO Strategies series draws on a different set of tactics and marketplace trends. The executives Digiday spoke with told us they weigh a variety of factors when considering how to advertise within an omnichannel marketplace.
“When we look at the variety of channels, a lot depends on which customer segment we’re going after. … One of our brands might be focused on an older millennial customer while another might be focused on the younger millennial or Gen Z customer. Each of those segments engages with media in a different way, and we have to be thoughtful in terms of where we show up. Where they are and how they engage is the most critical piece.” — Joe Milano, svp of digital at luxury fashion holding company Tapestry
“It really is an omnichannel marketplace that requires a holistic understanding of the consumer journey leveraging various sources of data and insights to bring together audience, creative and platform to drive a desired outcome. The good news is, with so much data available there is no shortage of analysis you can do to optimize for your desired outcome; the bad news is, there is so much data, speed and quality of insights has become the new equalizer.” — Katie Williams, U.S. CMO at consumer health care company Haleon
“Display is still the easiest channel to buy. We are seeing great responses from social. … I would also say that it’s pretty comparable [to display] as far as the ability to buy. Retail media is, I won’t say hard to buy, but we have a lot of different channels we’re going through as we think about what we’re able to buy directly through programmatic partners versus through retail partners. It does make it more complicated.” — Laura Knebusch, svp of CPG marketing and consumer experience at paper goods manufacturer Georgia-Pacific
Brands increase their reliance on influencers and UGC on social
With the plethora of social media platforms on which to advertise and an increasing audience demand for fresh video content, some brands struggle to meet the production demands of social media. Several advertisers told Digiday they are increasingly relying on user-generated content (UGC) and influencer relationships to meet their marketing needs on social media.
“Not only is the social media landscape ever-evolving with new apps and platforms, but it’s also very challenging to keep up with new trends and changes within the apps themselves. Finding new ways to keep our content engaging and unique on Instagram and TikTok was a challenge for us until we leaned more into UGC from our fans and partners.” — Natalie Sexton, vp of marketing at juice maker Natalie’s Juice
“It is very easy to get reach by putting paid media budget behind things, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good campaign. Organic social reach means that people that have seen your content, have engaged with it and shared it with their friends. The algorithms have prioritized that content because they got the signal that it was a good piece of content. That’s why we really care about organic social reach as our primary [key performance indicator] because it gives us a better sense of quality and resonance of what we’re doing from a brand perspective.” — Emmanuel Orssaud, CMO at language-learning app Duolingo
“Creating more UGC-style or point-of-view-style content that’s native to the platform has been really helpful. Leaning into our influencers, ambassadors and people who already love our brand and are speaking about us organically, is an easy way for us to transition that into paid channels on social media. Those conversations are already happening, and it’s a little bit more engaging for people to watch as a paid ad.” — Kate Breen, media strategist at non-alcoholic beer brand and brewery Athletic Brewing
Different display ad strategies seek authentic audience connection
Display ads are a trusted media channel among most marketers due to the channel’s accessibility and proven outcomes. Yet, display ads often lack the personalization opportunities that other marketing channels offer. Some marketers told Digiday they see programmatic video ads as a way to improve audience connections through storytelling. Other marketers are concentrating their display strategies on improved ad measurement.
“We’re extremely focused on optimizing our efforts and improving effectiveness in real-time at Haleon. This means we tend to favor more programmatic video placements. These video placements offer a better opportunity to authentically connect with users with an engaging story or unique creative, and the opportunity for improved effectiveness compared to display ads.” — Katie Williams, U.S. CMO at Haleon
“We use programmatic ads for the wide variety of target types at various phases of the consumer’s purchase journey, and the prioritization of ad types are based on the objective we are trying to achieve. It can vary from driving awareness with large screen inventory like connected TV down to driving clicks with a display offer message. Both are equally important.” — Angela Zepeda CMO at automaker Hyundai Motor America
“We built an in-house [programmatic] capability five years ago as we saw continued investment in this space and the concern around transparency and black box [algorithms], and where are costs going. Now that we have built out the technology and the talent to be able to do that, we like the ability to own the execution to be able to optimize quickly, to see the results quickly, and make decisions and be agile, as we understand the performance of our investments.” — Laura Knebusch, svp of CPG marketing and consumer experience at Georgia-Pacific
Retail media’s effectiveness depends on what’s being sold
Over the last year, retail media has surged in popularity, with many retailers investing more heavily in the channel and others venturing into retail media for the first time. New retail media platforms have popped up from specialty retailers ranging from luxury department store chain Saks Fifth Avenue to national bank JPMorgan Chase. Whether marketers invest in retail media advertising, however, depends largely on the types of goods and services they sell.
“For auto, the typical retail media network has shown less impact by way of incremental audience discovery. … We do see opportunity to potentially match customer records in a privacy compliant way through the likes of various ‘clean room’ technologies — but that would be more related towards audience overlap discovery where we surface opportunities to address consumers in ‘non-auto’ retail environments.” — Angela Zepeda CMO at Hyundai Motor America
“RMNs are critical partners to the success of our brand and business. It’s about partnering with them in the right way, to drive awareness, trial, conversion and ultimately loyalty for Welch’s. … The biggest opportunity we see in this space is data and the ability to tap into IRL opportunities in-store. — Katelyn Nugent, integrated marketing and communications director at juice and snack maker Welch’s
“The kinds of advertisers we have on eBay are very different from what you would find in some other marketplaces. We have an incredible breadth of size of the seller. … The challenge is how to build a portfolio of products that works across that spectrum. We’ve had promoted listings for the last nine years. … A couple of years ago we launched a cost-per-click platform, really targeting sellers who are interested in driving more velocity and willing to give up some of their margin for it. … Last year, we started leaning into a product called Promoted Offsite ads, which essentially allows sellers to invest more in external channels to drive more traffic to the listings on eBay.” — Alex Kazim, vp and general manager of global advertising at online marketplace eBay and lead of eBay’s RMN
How measurement methods affect retail media and ad-supported streaming
Brands and agencies consider a range of metrics to measure the success of their campaigns on ad-supported streaming platforms — everything from engagement to click-through rates. When it comes to retail media networks, the majority of marketers told Digiday that they measure success via commerce or sales rather than awareness metrics like impressions or engagement. Regardless of media channel, standardization of measurement metrics is a key concern for many advertisers.
“Specifically challenging is the lack of standardization in measurement guidelines across [retail media] networks. Even with consistent metrics like [return on ad spend] and attribution, the methodology varies across RMNs. We’ve been creative in how we overcome this kind of challenge, such as developing our own custom KPI framework that aligns to Haleon and our portfolio of brand objectives to expand beyond ROAS-only measurement to be inclusive of more indicators of success given the stage in the shopper journey and the role media is playing.” — Katie Williams, U.S. CMO at Haleon
“Both TV streaming and retail media are very fast-growing advertising channels. Given the economic climate and tightening advertising budgets, all marketers want to make sure our dollars are working harder and more efficiently for us. This means that platforms that can provide deeper and more detailed measurement solutions are going to become more valuable for advertisers. Marketers are going to continue to invest in platforms that allow us to prove the true value of our ad spend.” —- Laura Jones, CMO at grocery delivery service Instacart
“Tracking search activity attributed to a media placement is something we do fairly universally. … Live sports on linear broadcast and cable TV continue to provide the rare combination of huge, immediate audience sizes coupled with high search production volume and rates of search. … Marquee live sports in a streaming environment (particularly Amazon’s ‘Thursday Night Football’) can rival the audience scale and search generation impact of linear sports.” — Angela Zepeda, CMO at Hyundai Motor America
“[Ad-supported streaming] and retail media are quite seamless in terms of media planning and buying, but of course, the best plans are built by strong collaboration with the media partner. The best buys are made when we seamlessly partner with our media agency (TPN) and media property. The trifecta if you will. In terms of delivery, it all depends on the tactics and intent. Some partners are better at awareness (impression) and others are better at driving sell-through (conversion), and for us it’s an ‘AND’ proposition (not an ‘OR’) when we’re building a holistic plan.” — Katelyn Nugent, integrated marketing and communications director at Welch’s
More in Marketing
The cases for and against the CMO role
The answer depends on your vantage point. Gap is bringing back the CMO role after a two-year break, while Hyundai is choosing to phase it out.
With the CMO under the spotlight once more, let’s dive into the pros and cons to see why a top marketer can be an invaluable asset for some companies and an outdated figurehead for others.
The case for CMOs
For many CEOs, a CMO is the not-so secret weapon in their arsenal, driving the profit that fuels growth. This isn’t just lip service from a trade publication — recent earnings reports have shown just how crucial these marketing execs are. CEOs from PepsiCo, Gap, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, General Mills, and Nestlé have all given a nod to marketing—and by extension, their CMOs—as the driving force behind their financial triumphs this quarter.
Nike’s CEO extolled “impactful storytelling” and “brand distinction”—a.k.a. cranking up brand ads. General Mills’ chief raved about brand reinforcement, while Levi’s CEO name-dropped Beyoncé and lauded cultural relevance, translating to turbocharged brand development.
Despite the jargon, these CEOs view their brands as crucial capital investments, not just line items on a budget. While this narrative is familiar, it’s also challenging given how bean counters often see marketing spend as a cost ready for cuts. Unlike other expenses, marketing dollars are accounted for in the year they’re spent, making them particularly vulnerable.
However, CMOs at Nike, Levi’s, and similar firms have elevated advertising to a core business function, safeguarding their budgets even during tough times. Over the years, they’ve mastered the art of demonstrating their value in ways that earn them the respect of their top brass.
This is certainly true for some of the CMOs xx collaborates with. These marketing leaders are increasingly laser-focused on cracking the code of how to unlock the value of data within their businesses. Traditionally, they might have started with creative and media, but their shifting priorities signal a new approach to demonstrating marketing’s impact to their higher-ups, noted xx.
Of course, they don’t always nail it. Even in boardrooms that value marketing, CMOs have struggled to consistently prove their worth. But for every CMO position that’s been cut, there are times when the role makes a comeback. General Mills, the company behind brands like Old El Paso and Häagen-Dazs, revived its global CMO role earlier this year. Coca-Cola did the same just this month. In the world of CMOs, it seems absence really does make the heart grow fonder.
The case against CMOs
Unlike a CEO or CFO, the role of a CMO isn’t always essential — especially in the eyes of some Fortune 500 companies. In fact, only about two-thirds (63%) of them have a CMO, according to Forrester. In other words, for many big businesses, CMOs are a luxury they can often do without.
And even when marketing does have a seat at the boardroom table, it’s not always the CMO who’s at it.
The reality is that companies now demand more from their marketers than the traditional CMO role offers. Marketers nowadays are expected to manage retail media ventures, lead internal privacy efforts, and even contribute to M&A strategies. In a world where roles require more versatility than ever, the classic CMO might just be falling short.
Hyundai’s recent move highlights this trend. Execs there ditched the CMO role in favor of a chief creative officer and a vp of marketing performance. The logic is straightforward: as marketing gets more complex, sometimes you need a toolkit, not just a Swiss Army knife.
For these companies, the CMO as a catch-all specialist is officially passé.
Still, this isn’t about dismissing the role entirely; it reflects the reality of modern marketing—a collaborative, cross-functional approach where success relies more on specialized expertise and strategic coordination than on a single, prominent leader.
Because of this, the era of the star CMO—leaders like Marc Pritchard at P&G, Keith Weed at Unilever, and Linda Boff at GE, who gained recognition for their media savvy and thought leadership during the rise of online marketing—is increasingly becoming a thing of the past.
Today, as marketing requires more specialized skills and a wider strategic outlook, companies are supplementing or even replacing the CMO role with positions like chief customer officer, chief growth officer, chief strategy officer, and chief digital officer. Some are even bringing in regional and fractional CMOs, tailored to address specific growth and marketing needs that a one-size-fits-all CMO can no longer fulfill.
And as with any major shift, there will inevitably be some upheaval and adjustment along the way.
“CMOs aren’t a must-have anymore,” said Ian Bruce, vp Principal Analyst at Forrester. “In this world, the scale and scope of a senior marketer’s role can be very different, which is what CEOs are figuring out. They’re not saying ‘marketing is dead and so we don’t need a CMO’. Rather, they’re trying to understand what’s the rational role, function and responsibility of marketing overall and how can we manage that effectively.”
Ultimately, the case against CMOs is really a case for unbundling the role. When companies phase out or transform the CMO position, they’re not discarding it but redefining it for a world that demands more agile and nuanced marketing expertise.
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