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Naomi Troni is global CMO of VML. Her prior roles have included global chief marketing and growth officer at Wunderman Thompson and global chief growth officer at MullenLowe Group.
How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in marketing? At its core, marketing is all about telling stories. Advertising agencies tell stories on behalf of their clients to make their products stand out in the minds of customers. I tell stories—spanning events, thought leadership, campaigns, and content—to help my agency stand out in the minds of our clients and potential clients. You could say I tell stories to storytellers.
Favorite project you’ve worked on? The VML Future 100:2024, our annual thought leadership report that lays out 100 trends set to shape consumer spending over the next year. It’s one of our most anticipated reports, and is always a joy to work on, and this one was especially momentous as it marked the 10th year of the Future 100. My favorite trend is that consumers are in their slow-living era, slowing down their lifestyles and opting for a mindful approach to the year ahead. As humanity undergoes a paradigm shift with identity at the heart, advances in technology are ushering in a new reality and prompting people to question what it means to be human.
What’s your favorite ad campaign? I’m more of a (sausage) dog person, but our Super Bowl film for Hellmann’s is feline gold.
One thing we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile: I have a side hustle in cross-stitch birds.
What marketing trend are you most optimistic about? Least? It’s not so much of a trend as a truism, but I honestly believe in the power of creativity to build successful brands that stand out from the crowd. For me, creativity is the best way to connect brands to their customers, to culture, and to long-term business growth. I wouldn’t say that I’m skeptical about AI. Clearly, the potential of new technologies like ChatGPT has the power to completely transform our industry. However, AI should be viewed as an enabler and amplifier of human creativity, not as a replacement for it.
What’s one marketing-related podcast/social account/series you’d recommend? Rob Mayhew really makes me giggle.