In the International arena, organizations continue to find ways around the long-lasting, catastrophic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic to do business. It's only fair that organizations expect their marketing head to find new avenues to penetrate the market, hit the right nerves, and create the right, time relevant image for brands. Remember, traditionally, a Marketing Officer's job role was built around corporate advertising, branding, and customer outreach. Marketing leaders must use technology to the fullest extent to come out of this challenge all guns blazing.

Over the past decade, marketing has undergone a paradigm shift. Gone are the days when marketing professionals worked off assumptions or gut feelings. Today, marketers turn to Customer data, the most reliable source of information. However, with big data becoming bulk data, marketing professionals have their challenges cut out. Having a large number of data sources at your disposal makes pulling the relevant data together an arduous challenge. Investing in an inhouse data team would be an excellent place to start.

They will have to tread unchartered territories, working more collaboratively with technology departments. While working closely with technology & UI/UX teams, marketing heads must focus heavily on external marketing dynamics, customer needs, and general buyer behavior while ensuring technology interventions wherever possible. When done right, this new, smarter aligning operations could open up new avenues for CMOs. This special issue is dedicated to leading CMOs in the UAE. Do let us know your thoughts.