TORONTO, ON – April 18, 2023 –Influitive Corporation, the leading provider of engagement software for customer marketing, advocacy, and online communities, today announced the first-ever Fearless 50 and Elite 18 customer-led marketing leaders and CMOs awards program.
The Influitive Fearless 50 and Elite 18 awards will highlight and recognize leaders who push a customer-first agenda above all else and are doubling down on customer programs that drive engagement and adoption by celebrating their customers’ successful journeys to drive growth.
“Uncertainty abounds in the B2B space, and with mass layoffs and budget freezes, it’s paramount to celebrate the customer-first leaders that are helping their organizations to continue to prosper and grow,” said Dan Cote, Chief Marketing Officer at Influitive. “The awards program highlights the value of customer-first initiatives during times of both economic stability and uncertainty and will serve as a guidepost for clarity and inspiration.”
The awards program is segmented into two distinct categories:
- The Fearless 50 is a people’s choice award, where the public nominates and votes on who makes the final list. This category is open to both executives and management (Senior Director and above) who have pushed the boundaries of what’s possible when it comes to customer marketing, advocacy, community, and loyalty.
- The Elite 18 is voted on by a judging panel consisting of 6 executive leaders throughout the B2B space, including:
- Carrie Palin, CMO, Cisco
- Christina Kosmowski, CEO, LogicMonitor
- Erica Kuhl, CEO, Kuhl Consulting
- Jay Nathan, CCO, Higher Logic
- Laura Heisman, CMO, VMware
- Nick Mehta, CEO, Gainsight
The judges are looking for CMOs who place budget, headcount, and technology behind their customer-led programs, prioritize their customer-first strategies, and openly share how they are succeeding by putting their customers’ journeys at the center of their marketing efforts.
“Let’s recognize the leaders that are customer-first, that are asking the hard questions and making these tough decisions to be focused on our customers, and let’s all learn from each other,” said Laura Heisman, Chief Marketing Officer, VMware and Elite 18 2023 judge. “When we find a leader like this, we need to scream their praises from the rooftops,” said Erica Kuhl, CEO of EK Consulting and Elite 18 2023 judge. “It’s my true honor to be a judge for this much needed initiative to recognize customer-led marketers doing groundbreaking and inspirational work that’s contributing to company growth and profits.”
Nominations open today and will close on Friday, April 28, 2023. General public voting will happen between May 3-10, 2023, and both lists will be announced on Tuesday, June 6, 2023.
“The goal is to showcase customer-led marketing leaders by creating a listicle-style awards program that can be shared internally and externally around the industry to build visibility, support, and remove blockers when it comes to customer-first programs,” said Ari Hoffman, VP of Customer Marketing and Advocacy at Influitive. “The Elite 18 and Fearless 50 lists highlight 18 CMOs and 50 Marketing Leaders, giving them room to celebrate their team successes and accomplishments while driving the value between their customer marketing initiatives and their continued organizational growth.”
About Influitive
Influitive works with forward-thinking marketers and digital businesses who want a better way to engage customers and mobilize advocates to increase referrals, references, reviews, case studies, and more. Our easy-to-use SaaS platform combines industry-leading customer advocacy tools, expert services, and training with intelligent automation, gamification, and personalization features that drive extreme engagement and customer growth at scale. Global brands such as ADP, Cisco, IBM and HPE rely upon Influitive to help foster collaboration, build trust and deepen relationships with customers for top-line growth and bottom-line profits. Visit influitive.com to learn more.