Be in the Room Where it Happens: The CMO’s Role in IPO

CMOs should play a central role in the IPO process. But, they don’t always get plugged in from the beginning of the journey. From category design to corporate messaging; from selecting the right team and working with the CEO and CFO on the company’s story, the CMO is the person to help successfully create excitement around and ultimately deliver, IPO success. After all, there is no one better to tell the story of the company than the CMO.

As a CMO at a company with the potential to IPO, it can be hard to find trustworthy, experienced voices sharing the key tactics to drive a successful IPO. Generating excitement about the IPO is more than creating a killer S1 filing. CMOs should know how to connect their TAM to the company’s category and how to develop an end-to-end marketing plan for the IPO. They should also understand the strict compliance rules around marketing. Ideally, all of this should start 18 months prior to listing, and then they should be prepared to maintain the buzz for years afterward.

Please watch Marketing COE Operating Partner, Gary Survis as he facilitates a discussion with Carilu Dietrich (former CMO at Atlassian) and Whitney Bouck (former CMO at Box) as they share the insights and best practices they learned from delivering successful IPO’s.

Gary Survis Operating Partner More By The Author