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Marketing Vanguard
Purpose-Driven CMO: How Dara Treseder Transformed Autodesk's Brand Strategy
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- [00:01]
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- [00:27]
Dara Trer
People call me for roles and I tell them I can't ever do that job because I have to be passionate about what I am selling. I have to believe in it. I have to believe in the CEO. I have to believe in the vision. I have to believe in the executive team. That passion and purpose are so intertwined together. Second thing that's really important for me is the people I have to believe in, the people that I'm working with. I have to wake up every day and say, you know, I respect you.
- [00:55]
Jenny Rooney
Hi, everyone, and welcome to the Marketing Vanguard podcast. I'm Jenny Rooney with Adweek and I'm thrilled to be here in Cannes with none other than Dar Trer. Dara, welcome.
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Dara Trer
Thank you so much for having me. I'm so thrilled to be here with you. I know.
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Jenny Rooney
I'm so happy to have you on the podcast. We're doing it in Cannes, of course. We're right along the quet gorgeous, hot day. But this is our special edition Marketing Vanguard podcast lineup and I'm just thrilled to have you here. Dara, we were just talking about the fact that you and I go back a few years now.
- [01:23]
Dara Trer
I know more, I think like a more than a decade.
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Jenny Rooney
Yeah, well, because when I first met you, you were at ge.
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Dara Trer
Yeah, yeah.
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Jenny Rooney
Doing some extraordinary things. You were at Peloton, and you've been at Autodesk now for how many years?
- [01:36]
Dara Trer
Almost three years. Three years this fall. Yeah.
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Jenny Rooney
So you're beating the odds of CMO tenure. But honestly, I think when people think of you, they think of somebody who has done such an exquisite job. And I know we don't like these silos, but the thinking around B2B to B2C to B2B, I think of influential CMOs in the world. You've done such an exquisite job of basically showing how they shouldn't be siloed and that we need to be thinking about them as more similar than different and that good marketing is good marketing. Talk a little bit about that.
- [02:08]
Dara Trer
Yeah. Well, thank you so much. I appreciate here from you. That is high praise, Jenny. So I'm going to say thank you so much for that. That's exactly right. Because at the end of the day, a human is making the purchase. And the same things that make us really focus on that emotional connection, we have to bring that into the B2B space. Because if you think about it, if you bought toothpaste that you ended up not using, okay, maybe you're upset about it, maybe you leave a meme review on Amazon or something, but you move on. If you make a B2B purchase that costs tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of dollars, and you know that has a negative impact, that could have an impact on your team, a detrimental effect on yourself, on your team, on your company. So B2BE purchases are actually a more emotional purchase. One of my favorite statements from our customers are many times our customers, they meet me and they say, dara, I can't tell the story of my career without telling the story of Autodesk. And hearing that, I'm like, wow, our software plays such a big role in your career, in your journey. So how do we make sure that our marketing is reflective of that? That our marketing doesn't just feel transactional, but feels relational?
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Jenny Rooney
How hard was it when you got to Autodesk to get the team on board with that kind of thinking?
- [03:20]
Dara Trer
I spent a lot of time getting to know the company before I joined. I think they first reached out to me. I first started having conversations with them in February. I didn't actually start until October. So I spent a lot of time really understanding the company. I'm making sure that they understood my philosophy and that I was the CMO that they were looking for. So it was funny, before I got the job, I had pulled together my 100 day plan and my husband was like, don't you think maybe we get the offer before we send that out? And I said, no, we send that out before we get the offer. Because I want them to take a look at that and say, hey, this is what we want. Let's go ahead and give her the offer. I'll look at it and say, you know what? This isn't what we're looking for. And so from day one, I was very aligned with our incredible CEO, our amazing coo, and kind of understanding where they're trying to take the business. And so I was able to be that great partner because we were aligned in what we're trying to do, because to become our big thing right now is we're focusing on moving from being a house of brands to an Autodesk branded house. Because many people know our wonderful software, AutoCAD or Revit our or Maya. But they need to know Autodesk and understand that whether you're architect or construction worker, an engineer, a product designer, manufacturer in media or entertainment, or you work in creative industries like here at Cannes. Right. A lot of these ads that are winning awards were designed and made with our Autodesk software. So how can we make sure that we are able to tell that consistent story in an authentic way that really connects across industries?
- [04:47]
Jenny Rooney
So do you want Autodesk to be known? Is it a purpose driven brand? Is it a utilitarian brand? Is it a trusted brand? Is it used by many? Is it used by a considered few? You know, when you think really high level, like, where does your mind go and what do you want people to understand and sort of internalize about Autodesk?
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Dara Trer
So Autodesk, our software is used to design and make anything, right? Whether it's the phones in our hands, the cars, the products we love, it's the buildings and the infrastructure that gets us from place to place, or it's the movies and games that we enjoy that entertain us. Our software is used to design and make anything. So almost 300 million people will be employed in design and make industries by 2030. Wow. That's a whole lot of people. Yeah, that's a whole lot of people. And all of those people have the potential to be using Autodesk software to help them design and make better. And so for us, our focus is how do we make sure that we let everyone know, whoever you are, wherever you are, if you're just trying to design and make anything, why don't you take a look at Autodesk? We probably have something for you, something that we can offer you. Yeah. And so really making sure that we are not an AutoCAD company or a Revit company, but we're Autodesk, the design and make company. That is the work ahead of us. So that's what I'm really focused on. So when you talk about what kind of brand I want to be, I want to be a trusted brand. Yeah, we want to be a brand that provides our customers with certainty in an uncertain environment, 100%. And as we see what's happening geopolitically, macroeconomically, a lot of customers are saying, hey, I don't know where tariffs might be, but I know I need to be able to make more with less. Yeah, I don't exactly know what the sustainability regulations are going to be, but I know my customers expect me to make a more sustainable product, so I want to deliver on that. And then our technologies, that enabler. And one of the things our marketing is anchored in celebrating our customers. Yeah, right. It's not about celebrating ourselves and saying, look at us, because we're just the enabler. Our technology is just there to empower you. But you are the ones who design and make anything. And so we really, when we think about, at the end of the day, that highest order thing is that trust, being that trusted partner to help you design and make anything. Whether it's an incredible building, it's a stage that Rihanna is going to perform on, or it's a game that our kids, you know, are enjoying every single day.
- [07:04]
Jenny Rooney
And the reason I asked that question is absolutely, I want to understand Autodesk, but more important, I want to understand Dara. I want to understand how you think about it and how you articulate that. And I think that speaks volumes about you and about your creativity, about your innovation, about how you think about things and how they need to manifest. I do think a consistent thread in your career has been around tech. Listen, peloton is tech.
- [07:30]
Dara Trer
Like tech. It's absolutely connected. Fitness.
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Jenny Rooney
So how do you think you landed there? And let's talk about what has made you the kind of marketer you are today.
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Dara Trer
So I sought out technology. So I was born and raised in Nigeria. I grew up there. And I remember when I left Nigeria, nobody was using mobile phones. Okay? Every was landlines. And you know, often it would rain and the landline would be cut. Then you couldn't access or reach people. And I remember going back to visit and everybody had a mobile phone. The driver had a mobile phone. The woman who was hawking bread on the street had a mobile phone. And I saw how this transformed the economy. All of a sudden people were able to send their kids to better schools because all of a sudden the commerce opened up for them because they had a mobile phone. It was the most real view for me of the power of technology in improving human existence. And right there and then I said, I have got to get myself into technology. It took me a while because I actually started in, yeah, I started out in finance, but I said, I need to get back into technology. And that ultimately took me to say, hey, I want to go into business school, but I want to go to a business school that is technology focused. And so I ended up going to Stanford and getting my mba. And that's ultimately what got me into tech, was being, you know, in Silicon Valley, right of where all the magic happens, being surrounded by all of that technology excellence. And then really Upskilling myself. I said to become I need to be a tech business leader. Yes. Marketing and communications and commercial work, that is my area of expertise. But I'm a business leader first. And making sure that I'm a business leader for technology focused companies. And that curiosity, you know, I'm very curious. Yeah, like once AI came on the scene, I was immediate. I had all the apps downloaded, utilizing all of it. Right. And so that desire to use technology to improve the human existence, that passion drives me. And that's ultimately what led me to Autodesk.
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Jenny Rooney
Well, so this is interesting. I've never thought of it this way, but you're a purpose driven cmo.
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Dara Trer
Yes. You know what I mean.
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Jenny Rooney
And as you build your career, as any CMO would really know, whether they want to acknowledge it or not, you're actually building your own story. You're building your own tapestry of who you are as an individual, as a person and as a brand. And I mean that in the best way possible. Although sometimes that feels silly to say, but you have a story as a marketing leader in this industry and what comes with that is sort of, I have to think, a self reflection on what your purpose is, what you've tried to choose to do. You went through that process in moving to Autodesk. It was a very long process. It was a considered choice for you. Talk a little bit about how you think CMOs need to think about. Would you recommend that works for you? Do you think it works for everybody to think more holistically and strategically about the story you're building as a cmo, as a marketing leader? And do you feel like you have advice for others who might be trying to figure out how to make that happen for them?
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Dara Trer
Yes, I would say. And it's funny because as marketers we can always look back and say, hey, how would I connect the threads?
- [10:23]
Jenny Rooney
Sure. And then you can make it happen.
- [10:24]
Dara Trer
You can make it happen. But when I think about at the beginning of my story, I can't tell my story without talking about my mother and what she taught me. But when I was a child, I was always very ambitious. Always try to do the most, you know. And people would tell me, dara, you're a lot. And my mom was like, yeah, you're a lot. So why don't you take that lot to a place where people are going to appreciate a lot and make a.
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Jenny Rooney
Lot for the world and by the way, do a lot of things concurrently. Because I would argue what you're doing and what you've always done in Your CMO roles is do things a lot of different things concurrently.
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Dara Trer
And that comes with the whole being a lot and doing a lot. I enjoy. And that stems from purpose and passion because people are always like, where do you get your energy from? I get my energy from the purpose of the work. Like my 7 year old is walking around yesterday when we had Father's Day, he was wearing a Tinker Catch shirt. That's one of our software products that we make available that's being used by lots of millions and millions of people all around the world. And he loves wearing his Tinker Catcher. He's walking around telling everybody, my mom works at Autodesk. Autodesk helps you design and make a better world. That purpose and passion for me is real. And I can't work at a job where I don't feel that. Yeah, I don't genuinely like people call me for roles and I tell them I can't ever do that job.
- [11:35]
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- [12:01]
Dara Trer
I have to be passionate about what I am selling.
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Jenny Rooney
Sure.
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Dara Trer
I have to believe in it. I have to believe in the CEO, I have to believe in the vision, I have to believe in the executive team. And so for me that passion and purpose are so, so intertwined together. But then the second thing that's really important for me is the people.
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Jenny Rooney
Yeah.
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Dara Trer
I have to believe in the people that I'm working with. I have to wake up every day and say, I respect you. Yeah. And you are someone who shares the values that I share. You see the world in a way not exactly as I see it because we're all different and we all come from different perspectives. So we might see things very differently, but at the end of the day.
- [12:36]
Jenny Rooney
But just have passion for it.
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Dara Trer
We have passion for it and we are seeing centered on the same destination. Right. And so having that being around people, different kinds of people, different backgrounds, different disciplines, different viewpoints, different perspectives, but all aligned on how are we going to make the world a better place. That is really important to me and I think it's interesting. But when we think about purpose and we think about passion and we sometimes leave out the people, but I think the people are an important factor as well. So I think about those three things when I think about my story, I got an award from Stanford the other day. And almost all of my former bosses were in the room.
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Jenny Rooney
Oh, my God.
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Dara Trer
That's the team with their spouses. And that to me. But to me, the people, the people matter. That connection matters. Our relationship matters. We're not just transactional. But how can I make sure that we're building a relationship that stands the test of time? And so that investment in people, that's been a factor through my whole career, and that's something I care deeply about.
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Jenny Rooney
You've mentioned Stanford. I hope you're spending time, all the free time that you have, which I know you have none. But at some point, someday, I hope you're able to get into classrooms at business schools around the country. Because students need to hear what your story is and what you do and share that passion, feel that passion. Because you make marketing look good. You make marketing look meaningful in a way that I just think that we need the next generation to feel that kind of passion around the possibility, the purpose, and what marketing can unlock, not just for companies, but obviously for people, to your point, and also culturally.
- [14:10]
Dara Trer
Thank you so much. I will again, Jenni, coming from you, high, high praise to get this kind of credit from Jenny Rooney. I'm like, I'm gonna be taking that energy with me all the way. Thank you so much, Jenny. I appreciate that. And I've had the honor of being invited to teach at Harvard and at Stanford. So I've had, you know, I don't get to. It's not my day job. As you know, running marketing at Autodeck is a full time, full time job. A full time plus job. And you're a mom, right?
- [14:35]
Jenny Rooney
And you're a wife. You have all the things going on.
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Dara Trer
I do. I at least try to make sure, especially I oversee our education business at Autodesk. So Harvard and Stanford, they are customers, right? Their students are using Autodesk software. So I do get out there and spend time with not just my alma mater, but a lot of incredible schools around the world to share some knowledge. But I think that marketing is such an important profession.
- [14:58]
Jenny Rooney
It is.
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Dara Trer
I'm proud to be a marketer and I think that marketing really shapes society. Many times we're leading the conversations. Many times we are reminding people of what matters most. Like when I think about audit, it's like, okay, you could design and make anything, but how could you make it better? Yeah, right. That's a core part of our story. So now all of a sudden, you know, whether you're trying to figure out how to build buildings how can you build buildings in a way that's better so it stands the test of time if the natural disaster comes, right? Starting to get people to so many layers. Those things, I think, is a noteworthy cause. Okay, we're not doctors here. I'm not saying we're saving lives. I'm not trying. I want to be realistic. But the work we do matters, and so I'm proud of the work that we do. Thank you for all you contribute to our industry. Because everything you're doing with adweek, with Marketing Vanguard, I love your podcast. I love hearing and Learning from other CMOs and other leaders because this stuff that we're doing, and it's not about any one person. Like, together, we come together to ultimately raise the ceiling and lift the floor as we raise society up.
- [15:56]
Jenny Rooney
We're here in Cannes, as I mentioned in the beginning. Why are you here? What do you hope to get out of this week? What do you hope to get and what do you hope to give?
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Dara Trer
So I'll start with what I hope to give. What I hope to give is share the insights and the knowledge of what we have learned from Autodesk as a design of my company and provide that with the world. You know, AI is on the scene. Everybody's talking about AI. You know, at Autodesk, we get a really great vantage point into what's happening with AI because we're covering so many different industries, but also we get insight into what's happening for marketers and advertisers because many of the marketers and advertisers are using our products. And we recently did a survey where we looked at over 3 million job listings. And AI as a proficiency and skill has increased by over 640%. I'm going to say that again. 640% since 2022. Wow. By the way, this isn't just saying, hey, I'm looking for a prompt engineer. This is saying, if you are a brand manager, I expect you to be AI proficient. If you are a communicator, I expect you to be AI proficient. If you are in marketing operations, I expect you to be AI proficient or AI fluent. And so the AI skills are becoming more and more important than ever. And for marketing and advertising, it's actually increasing twice as fast. So marketing is really at that tip of spear. So making sure people understand our media and entertainment cloud is called Autodesk Flow and making sure people are aware of it's an AI powered cloud that can help you with creating, designing, and making incredible creative and making sure people are Aware of that. How can this help you with character animation? How can this help you with that? Sharing that insight and that knowledge is important, obviously. Sharing leadership, my journey. I'm an imperfect human leading imperfect humans. But I'm here to share what I have learned in my journey that could be inspirational or helpful to people. And then I'm also spending a lot of time with our customers. Yeah. Later tonight I have a dinner with our customers and spending time with them, understanding what are their needs, making sure I'm sharing what we are offering, what we are providing, and making sure that I'm being there for our customers, meeting them where they are, anticipating their needs, delivering for them is really important. And then what I hope to get is just a whole lot of knowledge. You know, I'm a lord at all. I'm a sponge. I want to get back to your curiosity. Back to curiosity. I'm just here being curious. I'm like, I'm just as curious as the intern. Yeah. I'm like, I never want to lose that intern energy. I want to have main intern energy. I'm not here about the main character energy. I'm here about the main intern energy. I mean, you're an intern and you're curious, hungry. You don't think you know anything. That's the energy I'm bringing to Cannes. I have main intern energy, where I want to learn everything that's going on so I can take that back to my company and continue to do the best that I can to help our customers design and make anything.
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Jenny Rooney
I love that and can still is the one gathering spot for the entire industry where I do feel like the that's possible.
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Dara Trer
It's the place. It's one of those things. It's like, you gotta be in Cannes. Sure. Because when you're here, not only like, I'm connecting with my customers, I'm connecting with media, I'm connecting with analysts, I'm connecting with everybody. It's like the only space where we all come together. And one thing that I've loved this year and by the way, I actually have to give Adwick credit because you have done this really well. It's like, let's not talk about just, hey, I have all the answers, but let's talk about the problems.
- [19:07]
Jenny Rooney
Totally.
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Dara Trer
Let's talk about the problems and then let's co create and problem solved together. So I also love that, that co.
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Jenny Rooney
Creation and that summit vibe here.
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Dara Trer
A real summit vibe, A real co.
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Jenny Rooney
Creation vibe where people come together and the answers come through the conversations that people are Having here.
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Dara Trer
Exactly.
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Jenny Rooney
Any headlines for you coming out of Cannes from the company standpoint?
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Dara Trer
Yes, absolutely. Well, we are really excited about Autodesk Flow. So, you know, I think anybody who is, if you're in visual effects artists, you're using our software to make creative. If people are asking you how are using AI to make better creative, you come on down to Autodesk Flow. We have got a lot to offer you. It's our media and entertainment AI powered cloud that can help you get the job done. So check out Autodesk Flow.
- [19:51]
Jenny Rooney
Awesome. Last question. Who's next? Who should I have on the podcast? Who's somebody that one person that you admire? Either you know them really well, they're in a CMO role, or it's somebody you admire from afar, you've never met, but you're just totally intrigued by their work.
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Dara Trer
So I admire Jonathan Mildenhall.
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Jenny Rooney
He's fabulous.
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Dara Trer
You should have him on the podcast. I think what he's doing with Rocket is amazing. It was like, I didn't know about Rocket. Now I can't stop seeing Rocket everywhere. Everywhere you go, they are everywhere. So I think Jonathan is an amazing cmo from his time at Coke to what he did with Airbnb, putting Airbnb on the map to what he's now doing with Rocket. So I feel like every time I leave a conversation with Jonathan, I'm like, that was some gems. Those were some gems. I like, let me sit at your table for a minute and pick up some of that wisdom.
- [20:33]
Jenny Rooney
Shout out to Jonathan. I know he's here this week. I think he's a judge, as a matter of fact, which is really exciting. But listen, Dar, thank you so much for joining me. It's always just enlightening, spirited and energetic to be with you and I feed off your energy. So thank you so much, as does everybody else here. So thanks so much.
- [20:51]
Dara Trer
Well, thank you so much for having me, Jenny. And thank you and Adweek for all you do for the industry. You are about helping us get better. You are helping us, like I said, not only raise the ceiling, but lift the floor. So thank you, Jenny, for all you do.
- [21:02]
Jenny Rooney
Appreciate you. Thanks for being here. Thanks for listening. See you soon. Thank you for listening to Marketing Vanguard.
- [21:08]
Dara Trer
Part of the Adweek Podcast Network and Acast Creator Network.
- [21:12]
Jenny Rooney
You can listen and subscribe to all of Adweek's podcasts by visiting adweek.com podcasts.
- [21:17]
Dara Trer
Stay updated on all things Adweek Podcast.
- [21:20]
Jenny Rooney
Network by following us on Twitter DWEEK Podcast. And if you have a question or.
- [21:24]
Dara Trer
Suggestion for the show.
- [21:26]
Jenny Rooney
Send us an email@podcastdweek.com thanks for listening.
- [21:33]
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