Ever notice how some marketing transformations soar while others struggle to get off the ground? The difference often boils down to one critical factor: executive sponsorship. In today's complex digital terrain, leadership isn't just helpful – it can be the make-or-break element that determines success.
Let's face it, marketing transformation isn't just a technical checkbox to tick, and it is not just about what you “say” to a customer. It’s about the whole experience you deliver – the execution of your brand promise. This is a strategic imperative requiring your full commitment and championship. The most successful transformations we've seen are led by executives who've mastered what I call the "Three Vs of successful sponsorship": vision, value, and velocity. Let me walk you through how these elements can transform your organization.
Vision: Creating your north star
Remember when Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone? He didn't lead with technical specifications –he captivated us with a vision of how this device would transform our relationship with technology. It became a lifestyle choice. That's precisely the kind of visionary leadership you need to bring to your marketing transformation.
As an effective executive sponsor, you must begin with a compelling vision that puts customers center stage. Think about it: What fundamental problem are you solving for your customers? How will their experience fundamentally improve? Your vision needs to transcend technology implementation and focus on creating exceptional customer experiences that weren't possible before.
Ask yourself: "Why are we really doing this?" Your answer should resonate at an emotional level, creating "skin in the game" for your entire organization. The most effective CMOs and CXOs don't just articulate this vision once – they continually sell it, reinforcing how technologies like AI-powered decisioning enable the seamless, personalized experiences customers increasingly demand.
"Your team needs to see the cathedral, not just the stones they're laying," as one successful transformation leader told me recently. "That's how you maintain momentum when things get challenging."
Value: Proving the business impact
Vision may inspire, but let's be honest – value keeps transformation initiatives funded and moving forward. Have you noticed how the most successful executive sponsors create a holistic view of value that goes beyond immediate ROI? They understand that proving impact quickly and scaling strategically maximizes both immediate results and customer lifetime value. Importantly, it also builds trust in the organization and secures permission to drive forward.
And the numbers? They're genuinely impressive. Organizations implementing AI-powered decisioning engines, like Pega Customer Decision Hub™ are seeing remarkable results. At the beginning of the year, Pega commissioned Forrester Consulting to conduct a Total Economic Impact™ (TEI) study to examine the potential return enterprises realize from the Pega Customer Decision Hub. The study found that, “After the investment in Pega Customer Decision Hub, the interviewees unified their marketing, sales, and services messaging across channels and interactions with customers. Key results from their investments included an increase in incremental profits from next best experience, reduced customer churn, contact center and business user efficiencies, and cost savings from retiring personalization engine tools."
Here are some of the results achieved by a composite organization representative of Pega customers interviewed for the study:
- $217M incremental revenue (yearly)
- $385M retained revenue (yearly)
- $652.1M three-year incremental revenue from next best experience
- $1.2B three-year avoided revenue loss
- 15% reduction in customer churn rate by third year
- Investment payback within six months
This holistic value calculation demonstrates that transforming and modernizing marketing technology helps organizations achieve significant revenue gains and cost savings. The impressive results from the Forrester TEI study underscore the importance of strategic investments in technology that drive both immediate and long-term value, however, the culture created by executive sponsors is equally as important.
Also, think about the investment you make in the brand, building awareness, consideration, and trust. Why not maximize the value of that investment by underpinning every customer interaction with an amazing experience.
An example of success comes from National Australia Bank. The market-leading banking institution faced the challenge of modernizing their customer engagement strategy as consumers accelerated their shift to digital channels over traditional. To achieve transformative results, National Australia Bank implemented a customer brain, powered by Customer Decision Hub at the center of their channels to deliver hyper-relevant interactions their customers craved. To ensure their customer brain's success, NAB built support from both the ground up and the top down. They got key business stakeholders involved early, which helped create momentum and kept everyone aligned with the bank’s strategy. Frontline bankers were also brought in from the start to share their insights, making the system more accurate and relevant.
The bank saw a big boost in engagement by turning inbound signals into real-time outbound interactions. This allowed them to hyper-personalize the customer experience, maintain the right communication frequency, and engage customers with empathy, building strong relationships. The central brain also made a positive impact on employees. Bankers gave great feedback, appreciating the timely and relevant leads generated, which helped them proactively support customers.
Velocity: Accelerating from vision to value
Here's where many transformation efforts stumble – they lack velocity. The pace of change matters enormously in today's market. The final ingredient in successful executive sponsorship is the ability to think big while starting small, proving value quickly, and scaling with purpose.
How do you build this momentum? Successful sponsors establish trust through rapid experimentation, celebrate early wins to maintain enthusiasm, and leverage AI to accelerate transformation. This approach creates a virtuous cycle of success that builds confidence throughout the organization.
Consider this: In an age where marketing budgets certainly aren't increasing (sound familiar?), the synergy between human creativity and AI capabilities becomes your competitive advantage. By embedding AI-powered decisioning into your organization's DNA, you free your teams to excel in what humans do best – emotional intelligence, creativity, ethical judgment, and strategic thinking.
The most forward-thinking CMOs I've worked with aren't just implementing technology; they're orchestrating a fundamental shift in how marketing delivers value. They're moving from a legacy of volume-based campaign approaches, siloed across multiple customer interaction channels to something much more powerful: continuous, contextually relevant customer engagement across every touchpoint.
So, where do you stand? The question isn't whether to transform – it's how quickly you can lead this change. What's your customer vision? What scale of value can you achieve? And most importantly, how will you drive the velocity needed to transform that vision into tangible business outcomes?
To learn more about what’s possible through executive sponsored marketing transformation, explore Pega Customer Engagement Blueprint and transform how you engage your customers to turn everyday moments into extraordinary experiences.