Do Brands Need a Chief Digital Officer? | Digiday

I totally agree with Stephanie Kovner-Bryant on this one. What she says also harkens back to how a traditional agency trying to be more digital needs to have a Digital Creative Director in place or they will always be playing catch-up and having strategies in place that just simply don’t work

Some, however, like Stephanie Kovner-Bryant, CEO of SKB Consulting and a former senior manager of digital marketing at Unilever, believe that the two roles aren’t redundant. She argues that since the CMO looks at long-term brand plans and strategies, it’s difficult for them to also be at the forefront of digital change.

“Having someone who’s focused on that can only help,” she said. “The chief digital officer at some companies can be more of an educator, keeping everyone abreast and explaining the pros and cons of new technologies.”

And there’s also a structural opportunity here for brands. Having a digital chief means that there’s organization and coherence of a brand’s digital strategy, as well as giving the digital team some table stakes within the company.

via Do Brands Need a Chief Digital Officer? | Digiday.