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 Shonodeep Modak, the CMO of the energy management division of Schneider Electric, to discuss why he admires L'Oreal’s brand, advice he would share with his younger self, and more.

WATCH + READ THE RECAP BELOW

(SCROLL TO THE END FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW)

Q1 | Is there any advice you’d like to share?

Modak expressed that he wished he was less competitive earlier in his career. He shared that if he could go back in time, he would’ve focused on improving his skills and honing in on his craft.

Q2 | What values should your team focus on?

Modak encourages his team members to be curious and go deeper into their work.

“You're not just finishing a marketing campaign just to get numbers that you report on a dashboard. You need to understand how you got there and understand what worked well and what didn't so you can apply it to the next time.“

Q3 | How do you find inspiration?

Modak is excited by the customer journey. He finds inspiration in knowing that the marketing efforts he and his team work hard on actually lead to conversion. 

“[Our sales team] doesn't have the ability to touch every confused customer, so when [marketing] can reach them, and we see the engagement and see them opening up, being curious, and either making a purchase or making a request to a salesperson, it is a thrill. It's almost like a hunt.”

Q4 | What did you learn from an unsuccessful campaign?

Modak shared that his team was launching a product into their retail channels that was backed by a lot of funding, yet never took off. They realized that they launched the product without an explanation as to how the product worked. “We learned to be more focused on the how and make what it is bold and blatant, and make sure that we're checking and measuring how people are consuming that information again and again - versus pushing the campaign out there and waiting until the results are at the end of the year.”

Q5 | What brand inspires you?

Modak really admires L'Oreal’s brand because of their dedication to their values. L’Oreal’s messaging is authentic and their products are backed by science. He believes that every marketer has the responsibility to be honest and transparent with their customers because that helps to build trust and increase conversion. 

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 Shonodeep Modak, and keep an eye out for more thought leadership from our CMO Spotlights.

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW TO THE RIGHT.