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

Setup CEO + Founder, Joe Koufman, spoke with Rich Honiball,  the EVP and the Global Chief Merchandising and Marketing Officer for the Navy Exchange Service Command (which is also known as NEXCOM), about the power of taking risks and failing, true authenticity in a brand, and the importance of curiosity.

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

Q1 | What advice would you share with marketers?

“My advice is to take the first several years and focus less on title and money, and more on what you're going to learn, who you're going to learn from, what you're going to be exposed to. You'll have time to make money, but being able to see the world or see different avenues of the business or gaining different perspectives is tremendously valuable as you go through.” 

Honiball spoke to the power of growing and learning through mistakes. That it is important to not let the mistakes overcome you since, most of the time, no one will remember them, but to use the pressure to do better. 

“I'm willing to fail, but I always want to strive to be better, and having that little bit of insecurity has helped drive me. So I think there's that balance there.” 

Q2 | What is your superpower?

Honiball leads with empathy. He sees it as both a superpower and an albatross since empathy can “weigh you down and cause you to hesitate to make tough decisions that you have to make.” When managed and used correctly, however, it can help leaders and marketers walk in the same shoes as their team or consumers, making them more understanding and in tune with their audience. 

Q3 | What values are important to you?

“The one thing that I will absolutely look for in people is curiosity. I think if you can be the smartest person, you can be digitally savvy, you can be analytical, you can be creative, but if you're not curious, we're probably going to struggle.”

Skills are taught, but curiosity is innate, and, according to Honiball, the most valuable attribute in a team member. But with curiosity and learning come egos. Honiball believes that one of the biggest challenges in marketing is bias, “and in many different forms probably one of the toughest ones as you move up within the chain of command is confirmation bias.” Leaders need to surround themselves with people who challenge them and don’t think the same. Repeating ideas back to each other confirming your intelligence is not the best recipe for growth. 

Q4 | What is a quote that inspires you?

Honiball cited Grace Hopper, an Admiral in the Navy who was a pioneer when it came to computing. 

“A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are meant for. So set sail to see and do new things.” 

Honiball appreciates this quote because it is a reminder to take risks. “You've got to set sail. You've got to try things, and if it doesn't work, then figure it out and try again. And so that's something that we try to live by. When you study her achievements, it really is an amazing thing.” 

Q5 | What brand do you admire?

As a “Girl Dad,” Honiball appreciates the true authenticity and strides Dove makes in their marketing for women. He believes that they live it. 

Q6 | Tell us about an impactful marketing campaign.

There have been a number of campaigns where Honiball learned to appreciate and strive for true authenticity. Since it seems to get overused in marketing, he makes a point to prioritize authenticity. He explained that when Covid occurred and their campaign ideas were shattered, the team’s priorities weren’t about monetization, but how they could connect to their community and provide hope. 

They restructured their plans for a virtual world, creating “concerts and virtual barbecue competitions and 5Ks,” and tied it back to their product categories. 

“The big takeaway was it wasn't motivated by profit, it was motivated by trying to do the right thing for the patron. And as we started to execute, we saw this tremendous response to it, and it helped sales. And I don't know that you can always do that as a marketer. I'm famous for watching Super Bowl commercials and chastising some of the brands that try to show a sense of purpose that doesn't belong in that messaging. But when we truly start with the consumer and try to solve a need, I think those are the campaigns that I've seen that do remarkably well, and so that's what we're inspired to do.” 

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 Rich Honiball, and keep an eye out for more thought leadership from our CMO Spotlights.

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW TO THE RIGHT.

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