Marketing Mastery Unveiled: A Journey from Code to CMO, With Suku Krishnaraj, CMO of Sumo Logic

In this episode, join our host Anda Gansca, CEO of Knotch, as she delves into the captivating personal journey of Suku Krishnaraj, CMO of Sumo Logic, who transitioned from a technical background as a developer to the dynamic realm of Chief Marketing Officer. Chettiar shares insights into his unexpected foray into marketing, guided by a genuine passion for understanding customer behavior and market opportunities. Discover the strategic shifts that propelled them through various career stages, from product strategy to the intricacies of marketing.

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About the session

This transcript is from an episode of the Data-Driven CMO podcast, hosted by Anda Gansca, CEO of Knotch. The episode features a conversation with Suku Krishnaraj, CMO of Sumo Logic, who shares his insights on building a company, the role of marketing in today's uncertain world and his experience serving on different boards.

Takeaways

Takeaway 1: Building a successful marketing strategy involves a greater focus on customer needs, not just on creating a new category

In his journey as a CMO, Krishnaraj has learned that it's more productive for marketers to focus on understanding their customers' value and aligning their products and services to meet those needs. He argues against the idea of spending large sums of money to create new categories, which he believes may not always yield the desired results.

"I fundamentally believe AI is really going to help us transform the way we market to the buyers, and meeting them where they are in the next ten years," said Krishnaraj. "Start with customers. Start with the existing value that you deliver," he advised, emphasizing the importance of using customer feedback to shape marketing strategies and product development.

Krishnaraj shared his approach, saying, "I went through 40 to 50 customer validations, existing customers, prospects, the customers that chose not to go with us, big companies, small companies, analysts. So I kind of compiled a pattern across these folks." Rather than trying to create a new category or change market perceptions, Krishnaraj believes in using insights from customer interactions to improve products and marketing strategies.

Takeaway 2: AI and content strategy play a key role in modern marketing

The advent of AI has made it possible for companies to streamline and enhance their marketing efforts. Krishnaraj believes that AI will transform how companies market to their customers in the next decade. He also emphasizes the importance of having a strong content strategy from the outset.

"Content is a fair place to start," said Krishnaraj. He pointed out that companies are already leveraging AI for external content creation, such as newsletters and blog posts. Krishnaraj also mentioned that he tasked his content leader to explore top AI tools to increase productivity and improve content quality.

In terms of AI adoption, Krishnaraj stated, "The early ones that I'm seeing where they're leveraging this a lot is external content, kind of web-facing content, newsletters, customer-facing newsletters, blog posts." This shows that AI is being used to automate mundane tasks and improve content quality, thereby enabling content leaders to focus on more strategic aspects of their roles.

Takeaway 3: Marketing is a growth driver, not a cost center

Krishnaraj strongly believes that marketing is a vital function that drives business growth. He warns against viewing marketing as a cost center and advises marketers to focus on what drives results for them. With budget constraints expected in 2024, Krishnaraj believes marketers must understand what's driving their ROI and focus on those areas.

"We view marketing as a growth driver, more strategic, not as a cost center," explained Krishnaraj. He highlighted the importance of understanding what drives results and making strategic decisions based on that insight, and urged other marketers to remain focused on their ROI, which he believes is the best course of action for the upcoming year.

Insights surfaced

• Krishnaraj's career transition from a developer to a marketer was driven by his interest in understanding why customers buy certain products and the market opportunities.
• Cross-functional skills have become a high priority in marketing teams, especially in the current remote working environment.
• AI is expected to transform marketing in the next 10-15 years, particularly in terms of meeting customers where they are in their journey.
• Content strategy is a crucial aspect of marketing. AI is increasingly being used to automate mundane tasks and increase productivity in content creation.
• Marketing should be viewed as a growth driver, rather than being seen as a cost center.

Key quotes

• "I'm a big believer in helping folks understand what they are exceptional at and encouraging them to be in the right place at the right time."
• "I fundamentally believe AI is really going to help us transform the way we market to the buyers and meeting them where they are in the next ten years."
• "We view marketing as a growth driver ... not as a cost center."
• "As a marketer, as a CMO, that's the best you can do for the next year. 2024 is going to be hard. As hard as 2023."