Coworking with Emily Ketchen

Each week, we spotlight Marketing Brew readers in our Coworking series. If you’d like to be featured, introduce yourself here.

Emily Ketchen is CMO and VP of intelligent devices group and international markets at Lenovo. She was previously a marketer at HP, and she also worked on the agency side at McCann Erickson, Publicis Groupe, and Grey Group. Ketchen is also a board member of the Association of National Advertisers.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in marketing? Being a CMO means you are the conductor, connector, and cheerleader. The conductor is constantly overseeing all moving parts, the expected and unexpected, to make sure the orchestra creates something beautiful together. The connector understands the customer and the brand and engages both to foster meaningful connections between the two. And the cheerleader champions for the brand, telling its story with authenticity and conviction.

Favorite project you’ve worked on? While my favorite project is always the next one, I am so proud of the Lenovo Work for Humankind program, which embodies our goal of creating tech for good. Our most recent iteration, “Meet Your Digital Self,” focuses on the mental well-being of Gen Z and uses AI to help them connect with loved ones across generations to open up the conversation on tough topics, from body and self-acceptance to self-expression. Our research revealed that a staggering 67% of Gen Z respondents feel a disconnect between their online and offline self, which can create anxiety and mental isolation. This groundbreaking social experiment highlights the role that smarter technology and AI can play in contributing to the greater good in sometimes surprising ways. We explored the intersection of technology and mental well-being and discovered how AI can reshape how we connect with ourselves and each other. The Work For Humankind program is also a remarkable example of brand courage. We wanted to show how smarter technology like AI, when used responsibly, can be used to make a positive difference in society.

What’s your favorite ad campaign? Two of the more recent ones outside Lenovo that I liked are the “WoMen’s Football” ad by Orange Telecom and the “Magnetic Stories” ad by Siemens Healthineers. Orange’s “WoMen’s Football” duped French audiences into addressing their gender bias and took two Grands Prix at the last Cannes Lions. Sometimes the idea wins out over everything and can make you feel so much.

Another campaign I thought was great was from healthcare service provider Siemens Healthineers, which also won a Grand Prix at Cannes Lions. Tapping into the simple insight that MRIs make horrible sounds, they created the “Magnetic Stories” campaign, an audiobook collection that cleverly transforms a loud, scary MRI into a more fun experience for younger patients as they listen to them via headphones.

One thing we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile: I grew up as a “third culture kid” with an American father and a Scottish mother, moving across many countries. This experience came to shape my perspective and influenced how I operate as a leader. It instilled in me a comfort with being uncomfortable and ability to lean into the discomfort of challenges, a willingness to take strategic risks, and to embrace change, as well as an understanding and appreciation for diversity and inclusion. I believe that the art and science of marketing are really rooted in our ability to be lifelong students of life, humanity, and ultimately, people and customers. And this idea of being a lifelong learner of people and cultural trends stems from my upbringing as a third culture kid, too.

What marketing trend are you most optimistic about? I’m really optimistic about the integration of AI in marketing. As the role of marketing evolves rapidly, AI offers powerful tools to enhance personalization, stimulate creativity, automate processes, and analyze data more effectively. It’s important for CMOs to have their finger on the pulse of groundbreaking technology like AI in order to lead the marketing industry into the future.

What’s one marketing-related podcast/social account/series you’d recommend? I had the honor and pleasure of being invited as a recent guest on The CMO Podcast. The host, Jim Stengel, is so experienced in covering a wide range of topics and asks insightful questions that strike a perfect balance between delving into personal stories—how guests got to where they are today—and uncovering authentic experiences of resilience, pivots, and leadership strategies. I always get inspired by his discussions with other CMOs about branding, digital transformation, and connecting with audiences.