By JOSÉ ÁNGEL DE LA PAZ | EGADE BUSINESS SCHOOL
The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) no longer focuses solely on executing campaigns. Today, CMOs compete for capital, discuss return and risk, and participate in the strategic allocation of resources alongside the CEO and CFO.
This transformation was highlighted by Juan Carlos Bustamante, National Director of the Master in Marketing at EGADE Business School, and Georgina Rodríguez, CMO of Creditea in Mexico, in the podcast Territorio Negocios episode “Marketing with a Brain: Data and Strategies for CMOs.”
“The CMO has moved from being a campaign manager to becoming a growth architect,” said Bustamante, emphasizing that modern marketing combines creativity, technology, and data with strategic vision.
From a business perspective, Rodríguez noted that marketing has also assumed greater financial responsibility: “Before, marketing was handed a P&L and told, ‘Here it is.’ Today, we build that P&L ourselves.”
Marketing, she added, is now “much more data-driven” and requires understanding risk, finance, and legal considerations to influence key business decisions.
HYPER-PERSONALIZATION AND INFORMED DECISION-MAKING
Hyper-personalization, Bustamante explained, is not about “putting the customer’s name in an email,” but about “redesigning the decision architecture around an individual” to deliver experiences tailored to context and intent.
At Creditea, this translates into “offering better conditions for each person,” from loan amounts to repayment terms, Rodríguez explained. Artificial intelligence has accelerated this process: “Today we can access, within seconds, all the information needed to make decisions.”
ALGORITHM AND EMPATHY
Both speakers agreed that data does not replace human understanding.
“Having data is wonderful, but it does not mean you understand the customer,” Bustamante warned, noting that a predictive model cannot replace direct experience with consumers.
More than 60% of CMOs are already redesigning roles in response to automation, he added. However, the challenge is not choosing between technology and humanity: “It’s about knowing when to listen to the algorithm and when to listen to the customer.”
Rodríguez emphasized that artificial intelligence “is here to stay,” but as a tool. Human judgment remains essential to interpreting data and building meaningful connections.
The episode was hosted by Alicia Galindo, National Director of the Master in Finance at EGADE Business School.
Territorio Negocios releases a new episode every Tuesday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music.
