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Tatiana-Vivienne Jouanneau is a skilled global profit brand-builder, an expert who has worked in 80 international markets and lived in 20 countries, and is a believer in building the brand with “head, heart and hands.” She is the Marketing Transformation Officer and Global Head of Commercial Marketing for Logitech, leading a $4.6 billion net sale business across categories of Work and Play for Consumer Electronics. Jouanneau is responsible for marketing transformation across brand, organization and processes, strategic partnership, omni-channel and full eco system marketing for eight different product categories, capability building for over 150 marketers, in-house creative and production agency, external agencies for multi-touch points (Communication, Creator, PR, Social, E-tail/Amazon and Retailers) brand investment mix and big consumer and cultural events. In her previous role, Jouanneau was Global Chief Marketing Officer for Duracell. She has led brand building in both B2C of one of the world largest consumer goods companies, as well as established brand building frameworks for B2B marketing, global partnership programs with Disney, Mattel, Hasbro, movie-franchises, OEM market programs and emerging markets.

CMO COUNCIL: What past experiences have best prepared you for the Chief Marketing Officer role?

JOUANNEAU: Every assignment I have undertaken over my professional career has been foundational for the CMO role. For example, creating and leading the entire marketing function in Pakistan as a junior Brand Manager was my first real trial of organizational leadership. When I re-invented the way to demonstrate product superiority, it was a big bet in strategic determination and creativity. When I led a brand carve out from P&G to Berkshire Hathaway, it was a real learning experience in how to demonstrate and substantiate the value of a brand. Now that I am leading marketing transformation at Logitech - recognizing the company’s commitment to products and people – it is a new journey for me to define and shape the brand perception and culture.

CMO COUNCIL: What market shifts and trends are impacting customer and competitive dynamics in your industry?

JOUANNEAU: Consumer electronics is a very dynamic industry and very much innovation driven – over 70% of consumers claim to consider an upgrade if they find a better product quality, price, or performance. There are a few mega trends happening in the CE space:

• Working not just from home but working from anywhere – this puts focus on multiple placements and mobility
• Gaming has become a mainstream vs. just a hobby for a few. Many mass brands, for example,  French sports retailer Decathlon entered in the overall electronic gaming and eSports space
• With Amazon 3Ps market booming and online business flow, there is a rapid emergence of CE brands from China, which are marketing at 30% price discount and claiming “me-too” benefits

CMO COUNCIL: What are some of the secrets to better collaboration with peers in the C-suite and lines of business?

JOUANNEAU: Always focus on the needs of the other person – it’s true with your team, your peers in the C-suite, your boss, your friends and the family. Specific to C-suite, recognize and respect that each of the leaders brings invaluable expertise and experience which is different to yours and therefore needs to be embraced both as a learning and as a contribution. Always consider the point of view of others – previous C-suite members have created the legacy which lets us “stand on the shoulders of the giants” and your current peers share the same ambitions going forward and “no one is smarter than all of us”.

CMO COUNCIL: How well have you and your marketing team adapted to the virtualized work environment and what have you learned?

JOUANNEAU: Logitech provides a hybrid and virtual place of work. I have never realized how much value and productivity peripherals like webcam, lights and mic can bring,  before I joined the company. Few learnings to manage effectively within more virtualized environment:

• Focus on achieving the end results and KPIs
• Always tailor the virtual meeting duration and attendance as there is a risk to be in Zoom calls for the entire day
• In case meeting attendees are mixed between in person and virtual, give extra care to the participants online by asking them questions proactively and creating space for them to contribute
• For people working around the world, show empathy by creating a few no-meetings evenings or mornings so the team can spend time with the family or exercise; and a small one which goes a long way – create fun virtual backgrounds as many people, particular in Asia, prefer to keep their living environment private
• Finally, and most importantly, trust wins it all, manage by objective and judge by the outcome, don’t get obsessed by online/away icons.

CMO COUNCIL: What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve been given? Or what career advice would you give to emerging marketing leaders?

JOUANNEAU: Probably not the only one, but very true and time proven advice: “The best ideas always come from emerging markets – watch for them, test them and scale up quickly.” Emerging markets will always have a very special place in my heart as I worked in and with many of them in my professional career – Pakistan, Nigeria, Egypt, Brazil, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, India, Mexico, just to name a few. I personally believe that working in emerging geographies is the most rewarding, as developing markets are dynamic and they teach you everything fast – from dealing with currency fluctuations, political instability and rapid consumer segment creation – to leapfrogging on technologies and fast new trend adoption.