ADWEEK® | MARCH 16, 2020 57
ALL THE SPECIAL COMPONENTS. BY KO IM
Purple Squirrel
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DATA POINTS
Mary Beech
CEO, Sarah Flint
Keen analytical mind
Data analytics to drive sales
Business acumen
Customer centricity
Strong sense of empathy
and understanding of the
human journeyEmily Culp
CEO, Cover FX
Sense of humor
Insanely curious
Financial acumen
Humble
Emotional Intelligence (EQ)Dana Anderson
Chief Transformation
Officer, MediaLink
Mentally ambidextrous
Sense of humor
Passionate
Focused
CleverAttributes of a Purple
Marketing Squirrel
Hiring recruiters look for them. Executives bring them along when they
move to different jobs. Purple squirrels are magical marketers who can do it
all. Although the exact origin of the term is unknown, they’re known for having
technical skills, financial know-how and emotional intelligence. We asked several
marketing leaders at Adweek’s CMO Moves Summit East in New York earlier
this year to list what makes up a purple squirrel, including but not limited to:
passionate, customer-centric, business savvy, focused and even funny.
“The way I describe a purple squirrel is the optimal candidate who has both
qualitative and quantitative skills and thrives in an entrepreneurial environment,for example, a vp, creative director who can pivot quickly from diving into data,
extrapolating insights and implementing them to overseeing a global photo shoot
and inspiring their team,” said Emily Culp, CEO, Cover FX.
Marketing experts already excel in some of these areas, but not all—and that’s OK.
“Such a list can feel somewhat intimating for potential candidates as they do
their own self-reflection on the skills they need to possess to succeed today,”
said Greg Welch, practice leader, Spencer Stuart. “However, instead of being
exhausting, we instead ask executives to think about what their ‘super powers’
are—and where they have opportunities to grow as leaders.”