5 Minutes with… Jill Kramer

As Accenture’s chief marketing and communications officer, Jill Kramer leads a global team of over 2000 people, working closely with data and technology. Jill is honest that once upon a time, data intimidated her but today she calls it both her “happy place” and a “source of inspiration”. 

Last year Jill was a judge at the Cannes Lions’ first-ever Creative B2B category where she was thrilled to see so much craft and creativity applied to a once overlooked category. With that in mind, Jill’s position is that B2B marketing can no longer hide behind the guise of complexity to avoid delivering great, impactful work. Being relevant and interesting is undeniably challenging when working in B2B and more creativity - not less - is the solution, according to Jill 

Today, LBB spoke to Jill about why companies need to embrace change, how AI is going to liberate creativity, and how Accenture is committed to welcoming diverse perspectives to fuel the company’s innovation-driven attitude. 

LBB> Jill, you lead a global team of around 2000 people in your role as Accenture’s chief marketing and communications officer. What does a typical day look like for you? Is there such a thing as a typical day?

Jill> While I’d say there is no such thing as a typical day, I’ll also add that I am a ridiculously routinised person. So, I create order even where there is chaos. I build in a few things to help feel more orderly. Here’s what it looks like: I always get up very early, there's a full hour of nothing but coffee, and my favourite apps, then there's always an hour of workout. And then there's a half an hour to get ready to work. So, there's a full two and a half hours before I even start my day. That helps create a strong foundation for my day.

After that, chaos reigns and my day kicks off with a lot of meetings. I do my best to try to always insert at least one if not two 30-minute breaks in my day. I use that to write notes, action things I discussed in various meetings, anything to avoid an end of day build-up of work. But that doesn't always happen. And that's not a bad thing. Back-to-back meetings all provide me with a highly stimulating environment of ideas and facts and challenges and opportunities. 

I always end the day the same way as well. I give myself an hour and a half at the end of the day. I’m a big writer – I write up all my notes in a notebook – then I type them all up at the end of the day. So that last hour and a half is used to activate everything that's stimulated my brain during all those meetings every day. 

Almost every day I also do the New York Times crossword with my husband. And yes, we do use auto check because I just need it at the end of a long day like that. And usually take the dogs for a walk.

LBB> In a previous interview you said that you weren’t a fan of data and technology when you first joined the industry - what about it intimidated you and where do you think that kind of attitude came from? 

Jill> I think many will agree with this sentiment that the attitude of intimidation comes from the fear of the unknown. I think you're always not a fan of something or you are intimidated by something that you don't know, and you feel vulnerable.

I am a person who gets afraid before I jump in, I just need to give myself a minute to acknowledge that, and then I deal with it. Then I jump in. And with data and tech, I'm glad I did as it is my happy place right now.

Today, I have a strong relationship with data and technology. It’s a source of inspiration for me, because I think great creativity comes from curiosity. Data is your ultimate treasure hunt. So, if you're a curious person, data gives you insights and information that make you ask or answer key questions that will live to lead to great creativity, better use of technologies, then complementary to that, because what technology does then is it allows you to surface that that data and then activate it in a way that's highly effective and efficient. 

LBB> How can (or should) companies help others to overcome their hesitations around working with data?

Jill> You need to know what question you're trying to answer. Because it's really about the question. The data is the way to answer the question. I really do believe many businesses are guilty of trying to use data to answer a question before they really know if it’s the right question. 

So, I recommend you celebrate the question and recognise that data is a path to find answers. And I'm using plural intentionally to that question, because very often, it will open many doors that you can choose to pursue one or more than one. So really, the best way to overcome hesitation with data is to embrace the question.

And then that really creates a culture where the ability to find the answer or answers to the question is celebrated. And data will naturally be your best friend in that process.

LBB> The people-first approach at Accenture is expressed through the apprenticeship programmes that you run to account for the fact that universities/colleges are not the only path to a career. What in your view are the advantages of taking a non-traditional path?

Jill> Non-traditional paths fuel diversity. Diversity fuels innovation. Innovation and creativity go together. Luckily, these things are in our DNA here at Accenture. 

With anything that closes doors versus opens doors, you should ask yourself if closing doors is really what you're looking for. The more people you get into a room, the more ideas you're going to get. The more life experiences you're going to get, the more different perspectives you're going to get. 

That diverse perspective is so important here at Accenture because we work across so many geographies and industries. Within that we work with a wide range of companies and enterprises who are all embracing various forms of emerging technologies. Nothing we do is homogeneous, so our talent shouldn’t be either. 

We also recognize that college isn’t for everyone. And more broadly, we see the opportunity to stop categorising people by school or degrees. Some roles don’t necessarily need four year degrees. In fact, 45% of our entry-level roles in the US are open to individuals who do not have college degrees.  

The world is changing faster than ever, as are the skills needed. That’s why what many deem today as ‘non-traditional’ may be traditional in the future. Today, our people and future talent are taking coding classes, learning about emerging tech – including generative AI. For example, one day a person might be in a career as an architect and seek out the training to work as a prompt engineer. Or perhaps one might finish a trade school then attend a coding bootcamp with the goal of working in industry X. 

LBB> What are the main challenges of B2B marketing today and how have they evolved in the last few years? What’s the future likely to hold?

Jill> The biggest challenges for B2B marketing today are how to be relevant and interesting. You no longer get a pass just because your business is complex or highly technical. You can’t be boring. You need to be fresh, engaging and once again, relevant. On the flip side, there’s a big opportunity to be more creative in B2B and to use emerging technology to unleash that creativity. 

The B2B brand landscape needs to be as creative as the B2C brand landscape. We’ve seen that evolution over the last few years, and I think that’s what the future holds: a continuation down that road because I do think that companies are no longer behind a wall or on the other side of a fence. People want to know everybody they're interacting with, whether it's where their partner works, or where their children are interning. They want to know the companies they are working with and for. 

LBB> Last year you were a judge at Cannes Lions’ first-ever Creative B2B category. What was that experience like and what were the criteria you had in your mind when judging the work?

Jill> I would go back and do it again in a heartbeat. What was so phenomenal was not only because of the work we saw, but because of the passion all the jurors had for the work. It was probably my first experience in a while where I saw such a passionate reaction to creativity. 

Cannes Lions has always put such great value on the impact of creativity. It’s good for our craft, for our clients and for the industry. I'm thrilled that B2B is more a part of conversation now with the B2B Creative Lions. 

My criteria evolved because I learned a lot by going through the process - especially when you’re first reviewing the work alone. That all changes when you arrive and you’re in the room with other judges. As that’s where human creativity and passion flows in and takes over the room. The most important criteria we all set was as a jury team we had to all agree it needed to be Lion worthy. We couldn’t lower the bar because it was the first year of a category. And good news – we didn’t have to lower the bar as the work was excellent. 

LBB> Accenture’s research found that 95% of global leaders say their customers’—and employees’—lives are changing faster than businesses. We know that change is difficult for businesses, especially large ones. What can businesses do in light of such rapid change?

Jill> The reality is – you can make change hard or you can be built for change. And I think those are the decisions you make in how you organise the principles that your organisation lives by and the technology that you use when you want to be built for change. It’s thrilling as when the next wave comes at you, you know you're equipped for the change. 

When you have to knock down one building and build a new one, knock it down again and build another one - that's where I think you get change fatigue. 

We are in a world where change is not going to come less frequently. So, we must be built for it. Luckily, technology is evolving at a pace where it can help us do that.

You take the way you want to work, the principles you want to live by, and the technology that enables it and you build it for yourself. So, in the long run your people can be well equipped, and resilient in how they show up when the sands shift.

LBB> You’ve previously said that tech and data can give creative teams the efficiencies they need to spend more time being creative. How do the recent developments in AI factor into this, if at all?

Jill> Creativity benefits from time and space. It benefits from people and from stimuli. That's where AI can help, and it helps in quite a few ways as there are different types of AI that solve different types of problems. It’s thrilling and I’m not the only CMO offering this sentiment; 99% of CMOs that we surveyed as part of our annual tech trends report called Tech Vision said that software and services powered by AI will significantly augment innovation and creativity in their organisation in the next three to five years. 

Here's a way to look at the various uses of AI. 

First, there are the types of AI that can automate and take away mundane work and functions so that you're truly focused on the creative space. 

Second, there is the type of AI that expands your perspective in that creative space like the way for example DALL-E works in generative AI, broadening your perspective by allowing you to co-create images that take shape in new and different ways. This type of AI lets you open the aperture around your creativity and be your co-pilot.

For example, in Accenture’s annual trends report, Life Trends released in December 2022—we saw an opportunity to use the technology of the moment to envision where things were when we published. We used the power of AI-generated art to help illustrate our five distinctly different trends and visualise the trends. Our designers first pulled words and phrases from the text to use as an initial prompt, then worked together with the technology in a collaborative expansion of creativity, diversity, and possibility. 

Third, you have technology that aids in the efficiency of production. How you go back to that space of automating aspects of variation versioning. How do you then take that creative idea and produce it in a way where the set parts use various forms of AI as part of the production process. And then you're on to the next creative assignment problem, opportunity – it’s thrilling. 

LBB> You’ve been with Accenture for seven years and held a few roles in that time while the company has likewise undergone changes. What excites you about working for the company and what does the future look like for your role?

Jill> Personally, I do well working for businesses and brands that are constantly evolving, because I love being challenged. And if I think just about the seven years and what we've been talking about as a business, and as a brand, it has been moving at a really exciting pace. Accenture is at the forefront of the art of the possible, so we have the incredible benefit of a perspective that comes from the breadth and depth of the work that we do that allows us to predict, forecast and put forward propositions that are well informed and very visionary.

I love when you're in a space where you have the privilege of marketing and building a brand around that capability as it’s so truly differentiated. There's also a personality to our brand that is incredibly fun to work with because we're a very optimistic and tenacious company and brand, so when you combine that with our built-in differentiation – it’s really a gift. In terms of the future - I started my career in advertising and that evolved into looking after the whole brand and now looking after marketing and communications for the business.

My responsibilities in my career and now as Accenture’s CMCO just keep widening and therefore so does the impact my teams can create on the business – it’s a dream job for those reasons. 

LBB> Finally, tell us a little bit about what inspires you and how you like to unwind?

Jill> I take great comfort in movement. It could be a walk or a run or a bike ride; physical movement is good for my body and my mind. I also get great comfort from my family and my two dogs. 

In terms of what inspires me, it’s other people. It’s those back-to-back meetings – they fill me up. I love hearing how other people are taking on problems and their ideas to solve them. I love being in the space of potential – being in the space of the next idea someone can’t wait to put on the table. That’s fuel for great marketing.