Marketing’s new normal with Samantha McDermott

Summary

Marketing leadership is being reshaped by a shift in how brands listen to, and engage with, their customers, a change SaJo Advisors Managing Director Samantha McDermott traces to practice from a webinar exploring marketing's "new normal." Developing a deeper, more attentive form of listening — one that goes beyond surface-level feedback loops to genuinely understand what clients need in a digital-first environment — is what marketers need now.

Digital channels are framed not as a bolt-on capability but as the cornerstone of how brands now build relationships with customers, requiring marketers to rethink how consistently they deliver value at every touchpoint. Empathy stands out as a defining capability for modern marketing leaders, who are encouraged to look beyond transactional interactions and ask where they can genuinely simplify or improve a client's experience.

McDermott's view sits within a broader series of executive insights on how chief marketing officers and senior marketing leaders are adapting their approach in a rapidly changing commercial landscape — covering topics from digital transformation in client engagement to the evolving skill set marketing teams need to stay relevant. Empathy, digital fluency and active listening emerge as inseparable from effective brand strategy for marketing practitioners navigating that landscape.

What does it really mean for a marketer to listen — and how does that translate into measurable value for clients?