Stories by Vanessa Mitchell

​SodaStream is taking a leap into AI as it looks at changing how it goes to market in the coming few years.

Sixteen years ago, Krispy Kreme launched in Australia, and it’s fair to say there were doughnuts everywhere. Aussies couldn’t get enough – until they did.

​Asus has appointed a new head of marketing. Former head of marketing at Hills, Farzeen Quadir-Hegde, has taken on the role for the systems business group.

To a lot of Finder’s potential customers, Finder was a nice little soundbite, and nothing more. Its challenge was to turn awareness into usage. To tackle this head on, marketing came up with the campaign “Be a Finder”.

Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, Rice Bubbles and Just Right have been family favourites for decades, yet their relevance was waning. Added to that, their smaller market shares made it difficult to support these brands with dedicated brand building, due to lack of scale.

​If marketers want to get their CEOs on side, then don’t preach soft metrics, instead present hard data, says CMO of Catch Group, Ryan Gracie.

Ensuring every team member within the marketing department has everything they need to be doing their best, most powerful work is critical, A/NZ CMO of Domino’s Pizza, says.

Converting interest into record student numbers is making a demonstrable impact on UNSW’s bottom line, vice president of external relations, Fiona Docherty, says.

Natalie Sarich-Dayton, CMO of Brownes Dairy, says sometimes you have to lead from the front, which she certainly achieved when she drove a 4T refrigerated truck around the city to sample products outside train and bus stations. And this is not the only tip she has!

Fundamentally, a marketer must understand the consumer, the marketing director of Mars Wrigley Australia, Suzanne Morrison, says. It sounds simple, yet many companies don’t do it well.

​The most creative marketing typically starts with a deep appreciation of the audience you serve, says CMO and head of communications at Microsoft Australia, Pip Arthur.

CMO of the Heart Foundation, Chris Taylor, says he feels grateful his work helps to save lives.

For ABC director of Audience and one of the few marketers with more than four years in the one organisation, the drive to being more data-led is right in her wheelhouse.

​Jayne Andrews, director of marketing at Carnival Cruise Line Australia, often describes her role as being like a conductor of an orchestra.

​With a $25,000 spend, one of the most effective, disruptive and innovative marketing initiatives Kathmandu launched this past year was the world’s first, all-weather wedding dress stunt for April Fool’s day, general manager marketing and online at Kathmandu, Paul Stern, tells CMO.