CXO INSIGHT groups ; one thing that I ' ve learned as CMO is the importance of staying as connected to the product and customer side of the organisation as possible – it makes you a better marketer .
Owly , Hootsuite ’ s beloved mascot , has become the company ’ s new Chief Connection Officer . What was the business decision behind that ?
As CMO , what ’ s your approach to presenting strategies and concepts to the board , and how do you demonstrate the ROI of initiatives ?
It ' s critical to present everything as a business outcome , not as a marketing strategy , and to start with the end goal in mind , e . g ., this is what we ' re hoping to achieve .
The more straightforward that you can make a marketing argument in the language of business , the better .
When I joined Hootsuite , a lot of great work had already been done on the brand , but there was an opportunity to be bigger and think more boldly .
Owly is a unique and distinctive asset for us . You ' d be amazed at how just seeing this big stuffed owl brings a smile to people ’ s faces . What I started to see was an opportunity to put Owly to work and start doing something more with their personality . There are also wonderful studies citing how icons help to solidify the memorability of a brand – so , for us , it was a no-brainer to amplify Owly ’ s presence .
Could you explain more about Hootsuite Academy and its offerings ?
We created Hootsuite Academy in 2016 to help marketers leverage social media to grow their business , connect with customers , engage and recruit employees and boost productivity .
Hootsuite Academy is a comprehensive online database of hundreds of free social media videos , resources , and industry certifications designed to boost social media skills and credentials , helping professionals drive value from social media – fast .
Hootsuite Academy has a platform certification . We teach social marketing , social selling , advanced social media strategies and much more . Our offerings aim to help people feel braver and safer as they navigate the oftenintimidating world of social media . We ' ve delivered over a million courses now , with 500,000 learners and over 1000 universities enrolled on the platform .
This idea of creating connections – which is what social media is about – was what we got excited about with Owly . So , we changed their look and their overall role with Hootsuite through our brand relaunch , appointing Owly as Chief Connection Officer . Owly is now the one speaking for us and representing us as a brand and a platform . In this role , Owly is adopting a ‘ mischievous mentor ’ mentality , making social media feel more approachable and friendly , while ‘ levelling our audiences up with love ’ – one of our brand principles . Owly is joining the conversation on social media authentically and showing our human side .
How has your integrated branding strategy changed to better reflect your standing as social media experts ?
There are a few things .
From a branding perspective , we haven ' t chosen colours just to be bold , we ' ve chosen them because they reflect where we ' re going with a
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