002 | Marketing: The Translation Layer with Kevin Fliess , SVP, Cofense | Studio CMO - a podcast by Golden Spiral, Shaping Technology Marketing
from 2020-03-25T12:49:09
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The Episode in 60 Seconds
Chief Marketing Officers have the shortest tenure in the C-Suite. In tech businesses, that tenure is even shorter.
How marketing executives handle the first few months sets the tone for the rest of their tenures.
Kevin Fliess, VP of Marketing for Cofense, just wrapped up his first 12 months in the role. In this episode of Studio CMO, we explore the decisions, strategies, and tactics he implemented and the lessons he's learned along the way, including how to:
- fully implement a rebranding movement, even if your company has tried before
- press a new mission into every nook, cranny, and heart of your team
- bring sales and marketing synergy to your organization, not just alignment
Kevin also talks about "The Translation Layer" that marketing creates between the product team and the executive team.
Our Guest
Kevin Fliess is Senior Vice President of Marketing of marketing for Cofense, an anti-phishing platform company for global enterprise companies. Cofense provides end-to-end phishing protection to stop attacks in minutes, not days. He is responsible for facilitating Cofense’s global growth by overseeing the planning, development, and execution of Cofense’s marketing strategy across all channels.
Kevin has been a marketing leader for more than two decades in SaaS, internet-based companies, and the event planning industry. Past companies include ATPCO, Cvent, Room 77 (acquired by Expedia), SAP, and HP.
Kevin is a named inventor on six technology patents and holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics at Washington and Lee University.
Show Notes
Who are the three bald, dancing dads? Check it out.
This episode was recorded at the 2020 RSA Conference.
Cybersecurity is an exciting industry. The problem set is always changing.
Cybersecurity is mission-driven. You're actually helping organizations and people deal with problems and pressing issues.
Check out Cofense's rebranding: then and now.
Psishing affects everyone and all companies, including these landmark examples:
John Podesta's campaign affected by phishing
Creating a purpose-driven culture is beyond just a mission statement, it's about creating something that is integral to the company.
A Scaleable Marketing Organization
1. You've got to have great people in every role. Give them the organizational North Star and let them run.
2. Build strong relationships with your sales team. Be aligned on what success looks like.
3. Strategy should follow your goals, however you measure success
Everything we do has a sales executive sponsor and a marketing executive sponsor. We are clear about what the outcomes we're going to work on together.
4. Establish a clear roadmap and then have constant dialogue about where we are. (Google's OKR method) Constant communication is key.
The pace of change in enterprise software companies and in technology is so rapid that it requires regular check-in and communication between teams in order to stay on track.
The Translation Layer
Companies don't have an unlimited number of arrows in their quivers. Marketing straddles the gap between sales and product. Marketing keeps those arrows pointed to the right opportunities that make the most sense and yield the highest outcome.
Take the gobbledygook and turn it into something your customers care about.
Take important, technically-sophisticated features and functions and translate them into use cases that make sense to customers.
Understand what sales is hearing and what pain points actually exist
Tailor the message
What are customers asking for, that they will need in 12 - 18 months, that are not on the product road map?
A Special Message from John Farkas
We wanted to share this important message with you. You can lead your company from chaos to growth.
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