Featured Interview With Ben Legg
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Originally from the UK, I began my career as an officer in the British Army’s Royal Engineers. I led the military engineering organization that relieved the Siege of Sarajevo in 1995 and was also stationed in Germany, Canada, Cyprus, Northern Ireland and Poland. I’ve also held the role of chief operating officer of Google Europe, VP of sales for Coca-Cola India, and a consultant at McKinsey & Co. Currently I am CEO of Adparlor.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I always loved to read. Unlike most other kids, I rapidly moved from novels to history books and biographies of great men (Churchill, Gandhi, Nelson Mandela etc.). By the age of 15 I was devouring The Economist and Sunday papers weekly.
Writing a book was never part of my life plan. At school I was a straight A student in anything numerical, but flirted with B grades in English. Then, as a young Army officer, I had to enter various essay competitions, on things like the future of warfare, and I started winning them. That gave me the confidence that I could write, and made writing more enjoyable. From then on I have been a fairly regular writer of articles and essays. I on;y decided to write a book when I couldn’t find a decent one on the future of marketing. I felt compelled to fill that gap by writing Marketing for CEOs – Death or Glory in the Digital Age.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love to read books that help me to understand better how people, societies and companies work. Recent favorites have included most of Malcolm Gladwell’s books, Steven Levitt’s Freakonomics series, A Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins, and Gregory Clark’s A Farewell to Alms.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
After being told by multiple CEO friends “Ben, I plan to fire my CMO – please help me find a better one” I wrote this book.
The book helps CEOs to understand what marketing should be doing to survive and thrive into the future. In an age in which every consumer has a smartphone in their hands at all times, and the amount of data available to target and optimize your marketing is overwhelming, marketing has to change dramatically. And when all new inventory sources have auction based pricing for every ad that you serve, if you don’t understand customer lifetime value, your company will be priced out of the market and die. Simple as that.
“Marketing for CEOs: Death or Glory in the Digital Age” will also be helpful to marketers of all levels, who want to take a step back and reflect on what marketing should actually be doing.
Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles
Ben Legg’s Website