The most innovative CMOs in the world — The Connectors

Business Insider

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

Here we celebrate the "connectors."

These are the CMOs who have concocted the perfect blend of art and science; the marketers who are jumping to be first-movers with new technologies; and those who have formed key partnerships to connect their brands with the world's leading companies.

Scroll down to see who made the cut. Our "Connectors" list is organized in alphabetical order.

Additional reporting from Lori Janjigian and Hannah Roberts.

Bjorn Annwall, Volvo

A former McKinsey & Co. consultant, Annwall brings different expertise to his role as the global sales and marketing boss at Volvo. Annwall joined the automaker at the end of 2015, but he has quickly helped the company strike a number of important partnerships.

Earlier this month, Volvo forged a deal with Microsoft to test Microsoft's HoloLens augmented reality headset. Annwall said he hopes consumers will soon use the headset to customize and test cars in a virtual showroom. The companies have also signed a deal to make driverless cars together.

Meanwhile, Volvo and Uber are testing self-driving SUVs and a self-driving truck, which completed a 120-mile beer run in October.

Another example of Volvo moving quickly to use new technologies is its launch of an in-car delivery service — turning a car into a delivery location with a one-time digital key — in partnership with the delivery startup Urb-it, which aims to deliver online orders within two hours.

On the advertising front, readers in the US may recall Volvo's unusual series of recent spots that began with the surreal "Wedding" ad in June that was followed up with a cryptic ad called "Song of the Open Road."

Kelly Bennett, Netflix

Netflix's meteoric growth continues to exceed analysts' expectations. The company posted a big earnings beat as revenue topped $2 billion in its most recent quarter.

While much of the company's performance can be attributed to launching in new markets and huge original content hits like "Narcos" and "Stranger Things," Bennett can also be credited with helping fuel Netflix's success.

Netflix's marketing mix includes super-creative trailers for its upcoming seasons, clever social media accounts for the biggest characters from its original series (check out Frank Underwood on Twitter), and a big brand campaign during the Emmys that brought together a cast of its most powerful female characters to pay homage to strong women.

The brand under Bennett's leadership also won the Integrated Grand Prix Award at Cannes this year for its "House of Cards" activation, using a Republican presidential candidate debate on CNN to launch Underwood's "campaign."

Bennett topped the ExecRank list of CMOs this year, which ranks top marketers in order of business performance. He also has served as an adviser to the CEO and CMO of Dollar Shave Club since 2015.

Suzy Deering, eBay

Deering is early into her tenure at eBay, having joined the auction site in August 2015, but she has already made a big impact. Her role is about blending the art of marketing with science — and with a treasure trove of data at eBay, she has a lot of science of choose from.

In one example, eBay launched a curated furniture and fine art marketplace — Collective — that includes "Shop the Look" artificial intelligence, allowing consumers to hover over an image and generate search results from the auction site's inventory that matches the product.

On the art front, Deering has been working to put heart into the brand by emphasizing voice and narrative. The company just launched its first national holiday TV campaign in two years, for example, which focuses on the "excitement of giving."

When it comes to the people behind the camera, Deering is also helping eBay play a role in "Free the Bid," a campaign calling on the ad industry to give a voice to more female directors.