Jason, thanks for joining us today. You joined Pure Storage as CMO during the pandemic, meaning all of your interviews were conducted virtually. Obviously, this is something a lot of our readers will be going through right now – what advice do you have for them in virtual interviews?
The main advice I have for marketers interviewing for a new role virtually, is to ensure you highlight your enthusiasm and communicate your personality – which can be more difficult when you’re not in-person. For example, you don’t have the additional benefit of the walk to the meeting room to make small talk. Although video streaming technology has vastly improved, a downside to video is that it tends to dilute energy. You can counteract this by using a stand-up desk, gesturing and smiling where appropriate and alternating your tone of voice and pace to highlight particular points.
Outside of the usual interview guidance of preparation and being authentic, make sure you look into the camera rather than the screen to improve eye contact, pay attention to the visuals – are you central within the screen? Have you tidied the background? Is your face in a shadow or is there good light so your interview can see the enthusiasm in your eyes?
Lastly, test the technology to avoid last minute panic or disruptions; have the access passwords on hand, familiarise yourself with the platform and its settings.
Joining at a time when teams can’t get together in person has really driven home to me the challenges that many of the world’s businesses are facing as they completely overhaul their digital transformation plans. Marketing thrives on connections and I’m doing everything I can to help make sure we are fully moving to digital as a marketing team, so we can in turn help our customers make that transition themselves.
Following on from that, how have you managed to establish relationships with fellow c-suite members and outline your vision?
To establish relationships with my c-suite colleagues virtually, it’s been important to invest time in listening and acquiring an in-depth understanding of our position in the marketplace, both challenges and opportunities, before presenting my vision to Pure’s leaders. But building relationships definitely extends beyond the c-suite to many subject matter experts within Pure. I spend much of my time in virtual meetings, interlocking with all areas of the business from sales, learning and development, operations, and engineering, ensuring we are aligned and pulling towards a shared goal.
In normal circumstances, we would have spent time getting to know one another’s quirks, strengths and motivations through informal settings. Now I’ve had to find more creative ways to build rapport. I’m definitely paying much closer attention to body language, being conscious of the importance of eye contact, and being sensitive and adaptable to the circumstances of others. After all, the pandemic has tested the best of us.
I’m very lucky – there’s a great sense of camaraderie and empathy within Pure, as everyone is going through the same daily challenges. Staying focused on what we share has been key to keeping our morale high during tough times.
Similarly, how have you managed to do this with the marketing team? How can ‘virtual bosses’ bring the team together and get their plans in motion?
It is still true that there is no shortcut to good management, and this is particularly obvious in the virtual context we find ourselves in today. There are three main things I have put in place to build rapport with my team, effectively communicate my vision for the brand and keep progress on track.
Firstly, just as I did with my c-suite colleagues, it’s important to listen and learn from those around me, to give me the different perspectives needed to make informed decisions.
Secondly, I have an effective feedback and review process to ensure we’re tracking and responding to market changes and can continue to make fast improvements to our programmes. I am definitely metrics-driven, and using these benchmarks consistently helps clarify our objectives so that everyone knows the role they play in making the brand vision and strategy a reality.
Lastly, it has been essential to acknowledge the difficulties we’re all operating within, showing empathy and explaining how the company is addressing the concerns of individuals. I try to spend as much time as possible in one-on-one meetings and I hold monthly virtual office hours for more casual drop-in conversations beyond my direct reports, to give space and time to my team as they need it. Being sensitive to specific employee circumstances, taking the time to thank individuals for their contributions and involving the team in decision making is essential to ensuring they feel valued and we know that we’re all winning together.”
With regards to your new role, what is your biggest challenge as a marketer, and how do you intend to overcome it?
Joining Pure in the midst of a pandemic has been both a challenge and a huge opportunity for me personally and as a marketer. I’ve found that marketers are responding to these challenges by working even harder to offer creative incentives to facilitate engagement in our distracting ‘new normal.’ For example, digital and in-person events do not have the same parameters of success. And with ‘Zoom fatigue’, marketers need to work double time to connect with customers and keep them engaged. This means that events cannot simply consist of one large moment in time, but need to be adapted to accommodate a series of high-quality experiences.
I’ve also found content investment to be critical for customer engagement through accessible, long-term and interactive resources that effectively replace in-person demos and brand visibility. For example, hosting virtual content booths, where potential customers can explore and engage directly with our products in their own time, has been really successful.
What is your long-term plan for Pure Storage? What evolution (or revolution) are you trying to implement?
My long-term strategy for Pure is to continue the focus on digital-first marketing strategies to ensure we remain a market leader within the technology industry.
The ways that modern businesses operate has transformed dramatically compared to just a year ago. In this time, the spotlight on technology and its ability to adapt and thrive in changing circumstances has never been greater. As a technology company providing some of those solutions, this has been both an opportunity and a challenge for us, and we’ve had to pivot our marketing strategy accordingly.
It will come as no surprise that we have leaned even more heavily into digital communications and virtual events. The key is to be really targeted with your audience, and put a laser focus on developing compelling content which resonates with that audience. For this reason, like many businesses, we have put a greater emphasis on vertical marketing, reaching a more niche audience with more impactful messages, resulting in a better outcome for both sides. When communications are digital, it’s also important that content is interactive, so for example with virtual events, giving attendees the ability to customise their agenda, prioritise the sessions most relevant for them and allowing them to explore content in their own time.
I actually think much of what we’re doing now was on the eventual roadmap, but the pressures of responding to the rapid change in work over the past year had given us all a bright beacon to work towards. I am very excited to see what sticks long term after this necessary period of rapid innovation and improvisation.
