A Visionary Digital Marketing Leader In The Financial Services Sector

Mark Cohen, Senior Vice President, Marketing Manager - Advisory Services, Marketing, Mesirow

Mark Cohen is a visionary digital strategist and marketing expert with more than 15 years of experience across diverse industries, including business services, financial services, and food and beverage. Currently leading Mesirow as the senior vice president of marketing, Cohen has played a pivotal role in shaping and implementing digital innovations that drive growth and enhance client experiences. His pioneering approach to data-driven strategies and brand management has led to remarkable success, propelling companies to multimillion-dollar status while maintaining a solid commitment to social responsibility.

Please share some insights into your extensive experience and elaborate on the key responsibilities you oversee within the company.

As the Senior Vice President of Marketing at Mesirow, I oversee an integrated marketing communications team serving all business units. Our organization utilizes shared resources like creative design and digital marketing while having subject matter experts, including myself and my team, dedicated to the advisory services business units. Our focus is on three different businesses: one B2C and two B2B.

My expertise lies in digital marketing and marketing technology. I continuously seek opportunities to implement cutting-edge digital marketing practices and explore tools that can benefit our business units. Often, when we successfully integrate a new tool within our team or business unit, it becomes adopted enterprise-wide, as other parts of the organization recognize its value and wish to invest in it.

Please provide insights into the significant changes and emerging trends in the marketing sector over the last 18 to 24 months. Are there any newer challenges or trends that you see?

Over the past 24 months, the marketing landscape has experienced significant changes from the customer’s perspective. Remote work due to the pandemic has shifted customer habits, altering their information-seeking and decision-making behaviors. With more people working from home, opportunities for conducting online research and making purchasing decisions during work hours have increased. Besides, economic fluctuations, including heightened inflation, have made customers more cautious, intensifying competition for their attention and spending in both B2C and B2B markets.

"Succeeding in the dynamic marketing landscape requires a well-rounded approach, especially in marketing technology. Embracing digital tools empowers us to stay ahead and deliver exceptional results"

To adapt to these changes, marketers are embracing AI as a crucial trend, leveraging it to gain insights, personalize experiences, and optimize campaigns to meet evolving customer needs effectively.

Another noteworthy trend is the increased focus on content in all its aspects, including creation, cataloging, and analytics. Many companies are now actively participating in different parts of the content value chain, offering services ranging from content creation to advanced content management systems with AI-driven automation capabilities. Additionally, the evolution of Web 3.0, coupled with AI’s prevalence and exploration of NFTs and personalization, presents new opportunities and challenges for marketers to optimize their web presence and deliver enhanced consumer experiences in both B2C and B2B sectors. This combination of AI, the content-driven approach, and Web 3.0 technologies is reshaping the marketing sector and offering exciting prospects for meeting evolving customer needs.

What would be your piece of advice for your fellow peers and colleagues?

My advice for my fellow peers in the marketing field is to embrace a more well-rounded approach, particularly in marketing technology. While specialists have been essential in the past, the rapidly evolving digital landscape demands that we all become more digitally savvy and knowledgeable about marketing technology. Even if some colleagues, like CMOs, may not have all the digital expertise at the moment, it is essential to start acquiring this knowledge.

The best way to do this is by strategically assessing your business, identifying opportunities to become more digitally savvy, and adding digital tools that align with your business requirements and strategies. Don’t be afraid to try out different marketing technologies and tools before making recommendations. Hands-on experience will give you a deeper understanding of these technologies and allow you to become more proficient in their usage, which benefits both us and the organization we work for. As the marketing landscape evolves, staying up-to-date with marketing technology will become increasingly crucial for success.

In the next 24 months, what does the future hold for the marketing sector, and what key factors should marketing leaders consider to significantly impact the industry?

AI will continue to influence the marketing sector’s future in the next 24 months, leading to concerns among marketers about job security. Senior-level management must address these concerns transparently and encourage employees to become experts in AI technologies. AI integration in platforms, such as programmatic advertising, will accelerate, demanding marketers to stay updated and strategically adopt AI tools.

Moving away from third-party data and cookies will also impact marketing strategies, requiring companies to focus on first-party data collection and management for a competitive edge. Embracing AI strategically and proactively addressing data changes will be critical points for marketing leaders to navigate the evolving landscape successfully