Lawrence Flanagan, Mastercard’s CMO, summing up his keynote at the ANA Masters of Marketing conference, offered the following tips for being a good marketer:
- How do you get a seat at the table? Build the table.
- The CEO expects us to reinvent and innovate.
- Give’em the numbers and they’ll leave you alone.
- Our Brand and our people are what matters.
- Per the above point: Respect trumps all other emotions.
- Ask questions nobody likes to answer.
I think the last one is the hardest for most marketers.
In the audience Q&A with Flanagan, Rex Briggs of Marketing Evolution asked how Mastercard weaves consumer-generated media into the mix. Flanagan said it’s all organic, and they support it, but there’s no way to measure it. I need to talk with Flanagan to set the record straight.