Maybe there was something good to come out of 2020? In keeping with the theme of this issue, as we reflect on 2020 and look forward to the new year, our editor looks back on the most popular articles from this year.
Another splendid year for Rockstar CMO, with wonderful contributions from our community, and in this article, I have a look at the ten most popular articles and interviews in 2020 according to our web analytics.
The battle for the top spot
In May, Jane Scandurra caught the mood of 2020 with The fear of going out versus the fear of missing out, giving us some wonderful advice wrapped around a quote from Mark Manson. But, this was pipped to the top spot by a wonderful Backstage Q&A with Oliver Pilgerstorfer, CMO of IFS, in which he shares a fabulous rockstar CMO story of starting out selling cigarettes in the school playground.
We love to go backstage
Speaking of backstage, Oliver may have got the top spot, but articles that go behind the velvet rope are always popular. Our chat with Kate Bradley-Chernis from the end of 2019 has continued to be flying high in 2020, and our chat with Tom Wentworth in our Tales from the Tour Bus series also made it into our top 10.
Ted Rubin
Our straight-talking, resident rock star Ted Rubin has been with us from the beginning, and he has 2 articles in the top 10. “Beware the Risks of Arrogance and Pride in Business” is the oldest article in our top 20, published in 2018; it provides a warning and a suggestion for self-reflection, even if things are going well.
New friends
Freelance B2B marketer Dennis Shiao and Jasmine Martirossian, VP of Marketing at TÜV SÜD Americas, have made regular contributions this year. Both in the virtual pages of our web publication and as guests on the podcast.
Jasmine brings deep thought to those same topics, and the article that made our chart is no different: 3 questions for success in the Post-COVID-19 world.
Dennis has a wonderful knack for talking about the theme of each issue with an engaging personal story. I look forward to reading and sharing them. His article How B2B marketers can get heard on Twitter in 2020 is no different and rounds out our top 10.
Finally, Nick Einstein, a Product Marketing leader at Cheetah Digital, flies the flag for his profession. From our Feature Creatures issue, he asks Modern product marketers: Roadies or rockstars?
Thanks!
I’m incredibly grateful to all of our contributors, and only highlighting ten articles is difficult. Plus, choosing by page views, I’m not a huge fan of vanity metrics, and it would be wonderful to know what articles or interviews resonated with you.
Happy new year!
THE 2020 TOP 10
#1 Backstage with Oliver Pilgerstorfer
IFS develops and delivers enterprise software for customers around the world and when their CMO, Oliver Pilgerstorfer, sat down with us and started an answer with “I probably shouldn’t admit this” our editor Ian Truscott knew he was in for a fun interview
#2 Managing the shift from FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) to FOGO (Fear of Going Out)
In this article Jane Scandurra, global marketing consultant and coach, suggests a path of sensitivity and empathy for addressing consumers whose behavior may have been irrevocably changed by the current crisis.
#5 Backstage with Kate Bradley Chernis
As marketers, sometimes we are not the rock stars, but the DJs that drop their tunes. However, the founder and CEO of Lately, Kate Bradley Chernis, ticks both boxes. As a former DJ with an audience of 20 million listeners, she’s dropped the tunes and in this backstage interview we find out how this experience made her a Rockstar marketer that even got Walmart dancing.
#6 Better products, better marketing, better listen
In his second entry in the top 10 for 2020, our resident Rockstar CMO Ted Rubin tells it straight. If you want better products and better marketing then you had better listen, not just to Ted, but to your customers and in the age of socially connected communities, who better to do this than marketing?
#8 Modern product marketers: Roadies or rockstars?
We enjoyed Nick Einstein’s insight as an analyst on Rockstar CMO, but his switch to a product marketing role was timely for our Feature Creatures Issue as he ponders if product marketers are the roadies or the rockstars
#9 Tales from the tour bus: Tom Wentworth
Back in the summer of 2018, for The Straight Outta Compton Issue, we went backstage with Tom Wentworth, then CMO of Rapid Miner, and in this interview, we caught up with this technologist turned marketer as he took the top marketing job at Recorded Future.
#10 How B2B marketers can get heard on Twitter in 2020
We started 2020 with many reporting that the influence of Twitter was waning, but its use grew and it remains relevant. In this article from our first issue of 2020, Dennis Shiao guides us through some best practices for B2B marketers.
Thanks to all our authors, I am sure we are in for more of the same for 2021!
The F’in Marketing Podcast
The world probably doesn’t need another f’in marketing podcast. But, many of these wonderful contributors have appeared on our podcast anyway.
Listen and let us know what you think.
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