There are different aspects which make up a successful leader. Whether it’s communication or the ability to delegate and inspire. When associating the skills that make a marketing leader and their work effective, strong organisational and planning abilities are often up there. Those can be seen as effective soft skills. 

Taking a delve into a marketers work however, may require a varied skillset. An analytical eye and creative-edge are amongst the qualities which are required. With all the work that goes into creative campaigns, social media posts and engaging content, “keeping it simple” seems to be the secret for Camelot’s CMO, Keith Moor. 

Keith Moor was named Marketer of the Year at Marketing Week’s Masters awards 2021. 

During a difficult time during the pandemic, Camelot managed to increase sales by 6% for the year to March 2021. The National Lottery brand also achieved it’s highest score ever on YouGov’s BrandIndex in 2020, scoring 8.1, rising from 1.9 the year before. 

Describing his journey and route towards his achievements, he says having “the right tools” in place is crucial. 

“When you go into a job make sure you’ve got the tools and the licence to deliver, make sure you’ve got the buy-in of the CEO and then effectively just do it,” he said. 

“The only way to get credibility is to prove yourself. I have to prove myself, as everybody else will in their jobs, by delivering for the business, helping it grow, turning it around, rebuilding it and building on the existing successes it has – whatever they might be. So ensure you can deliver proper tangible value that people can see and understand really quickly. Not just some kind of marketing waffle.”

Usually, going into a new business as a leader, professionals may feel there is a need to change things around drastically to suit their working needs, but Moor says that doesn’t necessarily need to be the case.

“Some big, well known marketers have been known to go into new jobs and have the arrogance to think ‘It’s my way or the highway’. I’ve seen marketers go into businesses and change everything because they feel they’ve got to put their own stamp on it. But sometimes it’s not about that. Sometimes it’s just about coordinating and bringing resources together,”

Keeping things simple also allows marketers to “get the right focus. [Spend time] asking those difficult questions up front, thinking about what can give you the biggest value return, because then you can show jumps in sales, increase in purchase intent. Then that gives you the licence to go and show exec committees and talk to the CEO in his or her language, and show you can deliver tangible value.”