CMO Spotlight | Eric Giesecke - WesBanco
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 Eric Giesecke, the EVP and CMO of WesBanco, to talk about how he pivoted to marketing in the financial industry and how he leads by example with empathy.
WATCH + READ THE RECAP BELOW
“I really am a big believer in two things...one is the aesthetic of your brand. How does it look? How does it make people feel? What do people think when they view your logo or something from your company? I’m a huge believer in that and then storytelling.”
Q1 | Tell us about your career path.
Eric Giesecke started his career at National City Bank as a Corporate Banker and, when National City bank was acquired by PNC, he worked for PNC for another decade. He transitioned from banking to marketing when PNC needed a Marketing Manager with their brand’s experience and knowledge. Eventually, he was recruited to WesBanco where he has worked for the last two years.
Q2 | What advice would you give to other marketing professionals?
“Don’t have tunnel vision when it comes to your career. Just because your major was X, don’t think that’s what your career is going to be, and be okay with that. That’s what makes careers interesting.”
Giesecke gave plenty of great advice for marketers in any position. Here are some of his key points:
“Careers are about hard work, but they're also about timing and opportunity.” He explained that being open to opportunity and being fearless when it comes to accepting those opportunities is very crucial for advancing a career.
“My focus was always to do the best that I can do in the position that I'm in at the time, and really build credibility.” He continued to say that credibility is so important in a career because being known as a really strong employee could lead to opportunities and career growth.
Q3 | What is your leadership style?
“A lot of it has to do with empathy. A lot of it has to do with leading by example.”
Giesecke learned that leading his team with empathy is effective. He is a big proponent of “encouraging and giving credit where credit's due.” He honors his leadership style by staying true to his personal values. This includes staying humble, having grace with his team, and celebrating their wins.
Q4 | What is your superpower?
His superpower is being strategic and looking through things in an analytical way. This skill allows Giesecke to view challenges from a bigger perspective and communicate those challenges with higher level leaders in the organization - both benefiting his role as CMO.
Q5 | How do you deal with challenges?
“We really focus on taking care of the customer every single day.”
In order to deal with challenges, you have to understand the consumer. Giesecke strives to understand the customer experience so that he can serve them better. He acknowledged that it’s hard to differentiate companies in the financial industry, but they try to position themselves in a way that prioritizes the customer experience and show that they care.
Watch the full interview to the right.
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 Eric Giesecke, and keep an eye out for more thought leadership from our CMO Spotlights.
Setup CEO + Founder, Joe Koufman, spoke with Ben Boyd, the Chief Communications Officer at Chobani, about designing your own career path, the importance of empathy and understanding as a leader, and more.