With digital forcing the marketing industry to undergo radical transformation, today’s marketers seemingly face an unending challenge to keep up with innovation.

Andy Brent, having led the marketing function at some of the world’s most recognizable brands, has carved out a career by aligning businesses to adapt strategically to the changing face of marketing.

Most recently as the CMO of Barclays, as well as stints with Burger King, BskyB and Boots, Brent is well placed to have a conversation with Hot Topics Editor Tom Lytton-Dickie around what makes a successful marketer.

“The real differentiator are those [marketers] with an ability to find new strategic opportunities, “Brent begins.

Great marketers are those who not only implement programs from a marketing perspective, but who can also create company wide change as a result.

This, Brent believes, is the real tell of successful marketers.

“Getting the business to really internalize the changes and move in a new direction, and to really understand why these changes are so valuable is key.”

Although of course, given the oft-short tenure of Chief Marketing Officers, known to last just a year, tension can emerge when entering new businesses.

And this is particularly true when attempting to implement radical change.

Brent is adamant however that, “the fundamentals are usually the same. You need to be really clear about who your consumers are, and this at times may not be as obvious as you think.”

This in particular becomes a problem at large corporate businesses where there can be a tendency to believe that everyone is a potential customer.

In Brent’s opinion this can be a huge mistake.

“The first thing to ask yourself is – who are we actually building this business for? If you can be really clear on that you’ll be able to find your core, those people that growth is really going to come from.”

To listen to the full interview on what truly makes a successful marketer, listen to this week’s podcast above.