Defender of the brand
Some CMOs and marketing types simply do ads and promo. Give them average products for average people and some money, and they’ll do the ad thing.
And some are actually marketers. Marketing involves making a promise and keeping it. Marketers understand that your logo isn’t a brand, it’s simply a flag. The brand is the experience that people expect to have when they engage with you. It’s your benefit of the doubt.
If you’re that kind of marketer, you quickly come to learn that the single most important part of your job is being sure that you make great products and services. Because sooner or later, the experience is the brand. Sooner or later, the story you tell needs to be true.
Which means…
That your main job is persuading the people you work with to ship great stuff. No junk. No shortcuts.
If you’re not the defender of the brand, who is?