CMO Spotlight | Amy Martin Ziegenfuss - Carnival Cruise Line

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The CMO Spotlight is a chance to get an inside look into the minds and journeys of high-performing marketing leaders. 

Setup CEO, Joe Koufman, virtually sat down with Amy Martin Ziegenfuss, the Chief Marketing Officer at Carnival Cruise Line to talk about the importance of creating a safe space for her team, having a sense of humor, and more.

WATCH + READ THE RECAP BELOW (SCROLL TO THE END FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW)

Q1 | Is there any advice you would like to share?

“You really have to take ownership of your career path.”

Amy is a big believer in being the driver of your career. “No one is going to do that for you. You have to work out what your career goals are, make a plan for how you get there, and then figure out who can help you get there.” 

It's so important to not only have a plan for your career, but to find people with experience who can mentor you on how to get to their level.

Q2 | What is your superpower?

Amy’s superpower is relationship building. She is naturally adept at building relationships within her large organization and makes an effort to build relationships with her target audience. She explained that building relationships with consumers is a two-way street - working to understand them to elevate their experience will benefit both parties.

“[Relationships] have to be two-way. You have to understand the motivations and what people need. And that goes for within your company or with the people you're marketing to. That really helps you find common ground, and helps you find the sweet spot of what your brand brings to the table that your customers might want.”

Q3 | What values are important to you?

Leading with empathy and creating a safe environment where people can thrive are Amy’s primary goals. Amy strives to be a servant leader, and create a safe workspace for everyone. 

She values authentic people with a sense of humor. “I think it's really important that we can all laugh together, and that we don't take ourselves too seriously. We often say in advertising and marketing, ’It's not rocket science. It's not brain surgery.’ No one's gonna die at the end of the day because of marketing. We need to keep that balance.” 

Along with authenticity, she makes an effort to be vulnerable with her team and is happy to let them know that she is proudly a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Sharing this information about herself inspires others to let their guards down and live lives true to themselves.

Q4 | Where do you find inspiration?

Amy finds inspiration from her team. She has fortunately worked with amazing teams, and the same is true for the Carnival Cruise Line team. “Their diverse perspectives, creativity, and passion really keep me super energized and engaged.” 

Outside of work, Amy is an avid reader and consumes all types of genres. Reading helps her unwind and stay engaged. Amy also finds inspiration from experiences that “keep you fresh and push you to not get too stuck in your ways.”

Q5 | Tell us about an impactful campaign.

During her tenure at Hilton, Amy helped create a brand called Motto by Hilton. This brand was created from global customer segmentation insights and included amenities that appealed to the target market, a much younger generation of travelers who had their own travel preferences.

This experience taught Amy “to look for the white space, and then listen to the customer. You might uncover a big opportunity that you had no idea was even there. I don't think we would have had that on our radar at all if we hadn't taken a step back and said, ‘What are we missing here?’” 

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For more marketing leadership advice and a view into the mindset of marketing executives in various industries, be sure to watch the full interview with Amy Martin Ziegenfuss, and keep an eye out for more thought leadership from our CMO Spotlights.

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW TO THE RIGHT.