The most innovative CMOs in the world — The Integrators

Business Insider

Business Insider has published its inaugural ranking of the 50 most innovative CMOs in the world.

Here we celebrate the "integrators."

These are the CMOs who have excelled in linking multiple media channels to make sure each platform leverages the next; the marketers who have joined their global organizations to work fluidly across different teams and departments; and those who have extended their efforts beyond campaigns to drive value for their businesses.

Scroll down to see which CMOs made the cut. Our "Integrators" list is organized in alphabetical order.

Additional reporting from Lori Janjigian and Hannah Roberts.

Lisa Baird, US Olympic Committee

Baird became CMO of the US Olympic Committee in 2009 and is responsible for overseeing sales, marketing, sponsorship, media, events, consumer products, and direct marketing.

Team USA says Baird has "signed more than $400 million in revenue" for the committee since she joined. The corporate sponsorships she manages — with brands such as Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, and Chobani — were 35% of the organization's 2014 revenue.

Baird starts work on an Olympics more than five years in advance, and she said the Rio Olympics showed "really healthy" numbers despite the negative stories in advance of the event about topics as the Zika virus, security concerns, and the impeachment trial of Brazil's president.

Baird's marketing output has included Team USA's "Road To" platform and its award-winning "Raise Our Flag" campaign. Baird also led the redesign of Team USA's logo and brand to make it more "contemporary" and "great for the digital world."

Linda Boff, GE

Boff was promoted to the CMO role in 2015, having served as GE's executive director of global digital marketing.

Passionate about concepts that "fuse content, design, and technology," Boff aims to inject the company with the "energy of a Silicon Valley startup." Boff is leading GE's efforts to rebrand itself as a digital industrial company, reflecting the extensive reshaping of the 124-year-old giant under CEO Jeff Immelt.

That has led to notable campaigns such as "What's the Matter with Owen?" Comical and self-deprecating, the ads feature a young developer named Owen who shocks everyone by working at GE. Its video series "The Impossible Mission" turned to GE's research to debunk popular phrases such as "snowball's chance in hell."

Another standout: its sci-fi podcast, "The Message," a joint venture of GE Podcast Theater and Slate's Panoply podcast network, which told the fictional tale of a protagonist cracking the mystery of a 70-year-old message from outer space. GE's encryption technology is worked into the storyline but is barely noticeable to fans, who loved the storytelling enough to make it a No. 1 hit on iTunes.

Beth Comstock, former GE CMO and now the company's vice chair, has described Boff as "one of the most innovative and forward-thinking marketers in the business," with an "extensive background in integrated marketing, digital media, and brand."

Last year, Boff won Mashable's Individual Digital Marketing Innovator of the Year award, and this year she was recognized as US Chief Digital Officer of the Year by the CDO Club.

Emily Culp, Keds

Culp joined Keds USA in July 2015 and quickly set to work on bringing its global platform "Ladies First Since 1916" to life.

She dived into launching a global online, outdoor, and print campaign starring Taylor Swift that was all about female empowerment.

Culp told PR Week sales improved in the US by 20% and internationally by 50% as a result of the campaign. Meanwhile, e-commerce sales grew over 35%, and the brand's Instagram following increased by 50%.

As part of the push, Culp formed the "Keds Collective," which comprises eight female entrepreneurs from the art, fashion, and technology businesses.

This year, she was named one of Adweek's Vital Leaders in Tech, Media, and Marketing.