Cisco’s CMO bets on live events over white papers
How a tech giant is redefining marketing success with conferences and AI.
The story
Cisco's CMO must increase revenue with the same budget, focusing on website improvements and measuring the impact of marketing efforts, including live events.
Source: fortune.com
Our reading
The Cisco CMO is trying to get more revenue from the same budget by focusing on website improvements and live events. It’s like being asked to make a cake with the same amount of flour but more frosting—except the frosting is called ‘customer engagement’ and the cake is called ‘revenue.’
She’s especially fond of in-person interactions, like three days at a conference, which she values more than five white papers. It’s not that white papers are bad, but they don’t have the same emotional impact as a handshake and a free coffee.
So Cisco is now using AI to recommend conference sessions, track which ones people attend, and then follow up with tailored outreach. It’s like dating apps for enterprise deals—except the swiping is done by algorithms, and the matches are companies that might buy your stuff.
