How Great CMOs Lead: Lessons from the Kellogg Marketing Leadership Summit

By Benoit Garbe

The Kellogg Marketing Leadership Summit brought together senior marketers, CEOs, and faculty to reflect on what leadership looks like today—under pressure, in flux, and in a world being reshaped by technology. Four ideas stood out as critical for marketing leaders:

Curiosity, Creativity, Courage, and Commerciality. Not just traits—but practices. When applied with intent, these four disciplines help unlock insight, guide teams through change, and drive meaningful business impact.

Kellogg School of Management

Curiosity: Reframing Problems Through Listening and Insight

At the summit, multiple stories highlighted how deep curiosity reframed assumptions. One example came from PepsiCo: Mountain Dew’s sales decline wasn’t due to ad spend or shelf placement—it was affordability. The solution was not more media—it was a pricing move.

At Brinker International, leaders held direct listening sessions with associates. A suggestion about how shrimp were counted became a catalyst for renewed team pride and operational clarity.

Second City’s Kelly Leonard offered tools drawn from improvisation. “Improv is the practice of being unpracticed,” he said. Phrases like “Yes, and...” and “Thank you, because...” foster psychological safety—key conditions for idea sharing.

This aligns with the work of John Kounios, Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences. His research shows that “Aha moments” are more likely when people feel safe and supported. Insight thrives in a relaxed state—not under pressure.

Creativity: Build Conditions, Not Just Campaigns

Creativity is being redefined by emerging tools. Artificial Intelligence is reshaping the process—but it is not a replacement for creative leadership. Tools like creative automation, generation, and analytics offer speed and scale. But purpose, tone, and resonance still depend on human direction.

Francesca Cornelli, Dean of the Kellogg School of Management, introduced the MBAi program—designed to train business leaders who deeply understand AI. Her message was clear: AI must enhance our thinking, not replace it.

Creativity also means challenging how people and communities are seen. Land O’Lakes, partnering with Getty Images, reimagined outdated portrayals of rural America. The goal: more accurate, authentic, and diverse representation—online, in culture, and within the datasets that will shape the next generation of generative AI.

Courage: Reset, Refocus, and Say What Needs to Be Said

The CMO at Chili’s refused to launch a new campaign until food and operational issues were fixed. That took clarity and conviction—not resistance.

Coca-Cola’s StudioX model restructured how marketing operated globally—consolidating creative, social, content, and analytics under one stack across nine hubs. The result: 2x speed, 20% cost savings, and stronger output. That required organizational courage.

At St. Jude, leaders pivoted from a successful creative formula to a new campaign rooted in “the art of hope.” Creative risk with emotional depth.

Xerox, under CMO Deena LaMarque Piquion, repositioned itself from a legacy print brand to a tech-forward business solutions company—using partnerships like F1 to tap into younger audiences.

And Laura Krug, with the Kansas City Chiefs, shared the ambition of becoming the “world’s team”—not just a sports franchise, but a content engine with cultural reach. That shift required storytelling and structure.

As one speaker noted: “Be constructively discontent.” Challenge what no longer serves the mission. Say the thing that needs to be said.

Commerciality: Simplify, Align, Deliver

Greg Lyons, incoming Global CMO at Subway (a brand backed by Roark Capital), put it bluntly: “The best brief, the best strategy, and the best brand are simple.” Simplicity brings alignment. It cuts through noise. It moves teams.

Marketing must be grounded in shared business metrics. As discussed in the McKinsey session: “Too often, CMOs report brand metrics while CEOs want commercial ones.” CMOs must invite CFOs into planning conversations—and speak the language of business.

Raja Rajamannar, CMO of Mastercard, laid out marketing’s three roles: define what the company stands for; drive profitable growth; and build a sustainable competitive advantage. These are not silos—they are reinforcing flywheels.

Marketing also requires foresight. At Chili’s, the CMO’s pushback wasn’t delay—it was prioritization. CMOs often see where markets are heading before others. They must shape—not follow—the growth agenda.

What This Moment Demands

The summit underscored the evolving demands on marketing leadership. Expectations are rising, timelines are compressing, and the margin for error is shrinking. Yet the path forward is not about doing everything—it is about doing the right things, with intention.

Curiosity, creativity, courage, and commerciality emerged as essential capabilities—practiced in context, not theory. They showed up in decisions to pause campaigns, reshape teams, push into new spaces, and prioritize what really drives value.

In many ways, that is the core challenge—and opportunity—for marketers now. To bring focus, unlock action, and shape what comes next.

Kellogg Marketing Leadership Summit 2025