If you are looking for a Vice President Marketing job role or would like to find out how to become a VP Marketing, read our guide below.
If you’re an employer looking to recruit VP Marketing, please see our marketing recruitment page. If you need to hire and would like our services, contact us today.
What is a VP Marketing?
A VP Marketing, also known as a Vice President Marketing, is a high-level executive responsible for overseeing and guiding an organisation’s marketing strategies and initiatives.
This role involves developing and implementing comprehensive marketing plans to drive brand awareness, customer acquisition, and revenue growth. A VP Marketing collaborates with cross-functional teams to define target markets, identify consumer needs, conduct market research, and create compelling marketing campaigns across various channels. They analyse market trends, competitors, and customer behaviour to optimise marketing efforts and ensure alignment with business objectives.
Overall, a Vice President Marketing plays a crucial role in shaping the organisation’s brand image, expanding its market presence, and driving its overall marketing success.
Discover how and when to hire a VP Marketing.
Vice President Marketing objectives
Increase brand awareness:
Enhance brand recognition and recall among target audiences, measured by brand awareness surveys and metrics such as brand mentions and social media reach.
Drive customer acquisition:
Increase the number of new customers acquired through marketing efforts, measured by metrics like the number of leads generated, conversion rates, and customer acquisition cost (CAC).
Enhance customer retention and loyalty:
Develop strategies to nurture existing customers, increase repeat purchases, and foster brand loyalty, measured by customer retention rates, customer lifetime value (CLTV), and Net Promoter Score (NPS).
Improve market share:
Increase the organisation’s market share by outperforming competitors, measured by market share metrics and industry rankings.
Optimise marketing campaigns:
Continuously improve the effectiveness and efficiency of marketing campaigns, measured by key performance indicators (KPIs) such as click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, and return on investment (ROI).
Expand into new markets:
Identify and pursue opportunities to enter new markets or target new customer segments, measured by market penetration metrics and revenue growth in the new markets.
Strengthen brand positioning:
Develop and maintain a strong and differentiated brand identity, measured by brand perception surveys, competitive analysis, and brand equity metrics.
Enhance digital presence:
Improve the organisation’s online visibility, engagement, and digital marketing efforts, measured by website traffic, social media engagement, search engine rankings, and digital conversion rates.
Foster strategic partnerships:
Establish and nurture partnerships with complementary businesses or influencers to amplify brand reach and drive mutually beneficial growth, measured by partnership performance indicators such as referral traffic and partnership-generated revenue.
Align marketing with business objectives:
Ensure that marketing strategies and initiatives are closely aligned with overall business goals, measured by metrics like revenue contribution, customer acquisition efficiency, and marketing-generated pipeline value.
Difference: VP Marketing and Marketing Director?
The difference between a Vice President Marketing and a Marketing Director lies primarily in their level of seniority and scope of responsibilities.
A Marketing Director typically holds a mid-to-senior level position and reports to the Vice President Marketing or a C-level executive. They are responsible for overseeing and executing specific marketing initiatives, managing day-to-day marketing operations, and coordinating marketing campaigns and projects. Marketing Directors focus on implementing strategies, tactics, and plans aligned with the overall marketing vision set by the Vice President of Marketing.
On the other hand, a Vice President of Marketing holds a more senior leadership position and often reports directly to the CEO or another C-level executive. They are responsible for setting the strategic direction of the marketing function and driving the overall marketing strategy. VPs of Marketing are involved in high-level decision-making, such as defining marketing goals, establishing budgets, evaluating market opportunities, and shaping the brand positioning.
Difference: VP Marketing and Head of Marketing?
The VP Marketing and Head of Marketing play different roles within a company’s marketing department. The VP Marketing takes on a leadership position, overseeing the overall marketing strategy and leading the marketing team. They make important decisions, handle the budget, and represent the company to external stakeholders. On the other hand, the Head of Marketing serves as the team manager, responsible for putting the VP’s plans into action, managing day-to-day marketing activities, and ensuring smooth collaboration among team members.
In a nutshell, the VP Marketing is the strategic leader with significant responsibilities, while the Head of Marketing is the driving force that brings the plans to life and keeps the marketing engine running smoothly.
VP Marketing salary
In today’s market, a salary of £130,000 to £220,000 would be expected at Vice President Marketing level. Traditionally, those VP’s working within London could expect a salary at the higher end of this scale, but with the rise in demand from candidates for flexible working, employers are tending to level out this playing field.
Employers will also be willing to pay a higher salary for a Vice President Marketing who can evidence both business growth and improvements in brand awareness metrics, directly attributable from their marketing strategy. Also essential to this role is the ability to lead and inspire team members to success.
Other factors that could affect the salary of a Marketing VP role are:
- The size of the employer
- The growth objectives of the employer
- The overall benefits package. Employers can enhance the salary through equity, pensions, and other benefits
Vice President Marketing job description
Company: [Company Name]
Location: [Location]
Job Description:
As the Vice President Marketing at [Company Name], you will play a critical role in shaping and executing the marketing strategy for our fast-growing scale-up tech company. We are seeking a dynamic and strategic marketing leader with a proven track record in driving growth and brand awareness within the tech industry. You will have the opportunity to lead a talented marketing team, collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders, and contribute to the overall success of the business.
Vice President Marketing responsibilities:
- Develop and execute the overall marketing strategy to support the company’s growth objectives and establish a strong market presence.
- Lead and manage a team of marketing professionals, providing mentorship, guidance, and support to drive individual and team performance.
- Oversee all aspects of marketing, including brand management, digital marketing, content marketing, product marketing, demand generation, and customer marketing.
- Collaborate with the executive team to define target markets, customer personas, and go-to-market strategies for new products and features.
- Drive customer acquisition and revenue growth through effective demand generation campaigns, lead generation activities, and sales enablement initiatives.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including sales, product management, and executive leadership, to ensure alignment and maximise marketing impact.
- Monitor industry trends, competitive landscape, and customer insights to identify opportunities and develop innovative marketing strategies.
- Drive the development and execution of compelling marketing campaigns across multiple channels, ensuring consistent messaging and brand positioning.
- Track, analyse, and report on key marketing metrics and KPIs to measure the effectiveness and ROI of marketing initiatives.
- Stay abreast of emerging technologies, marketing tools, and best practices in the tech industry to drive innovation and continuous improvement.
Vice President Marketing qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, or a related field (Master’s degree preferred).
- Proven experience as a marketing leader in a high-growth tech company or scale-up environment.
- Strong knowledge of the tech industry, including SaaS, software development, or similar sectors.
- Demonstrated success in developing and executing strategic marketing plans that drive revenue growth and brand recognition.
- Experience managing and mentoring a team of marketing professionals.
- Excellent leadership and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate and influence cross-functional teams.
- Strong analytical mindset and proficiency in analysing marketing data to inform decision-making.
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment with changing priorities and tight deadlines.
- Creative thinker with a passion for innovation and finding new ways to engage target audiences.
- Proven ability to adapt to evolving market conditions and leverage emerging marketing trends and technologies.
Vice President Marketing skills
Data analysis and insights: Proficiency in data analysis tools and the ability to derive actionable insights from marketing data, such as customer segmentation, campaign performance, and ROI analysis.
Budgeting: Skill in creating and managing marketing budgets, allocating resources effectively, and optimiaing marketing spend to achieve maximum impact and ROI.
Market segmentation and targeting: Ability to identify and define target market segments, understand their needs and preferences, and develop tailored marketing strategies to effectively reach and engage them.
Product marketing: Experience in developing product positioning, messaging, and go-to-market strategies, as well as collaborating with product teams to drive successful product launches.
PR and media relations: Knowledge of public relations strategies, media relations, and crisis communications, including developing relationships with industry influencers and managing media outreach.
Customer experience: Understanding of customer journey mapping, user experience design, and the ability to improve customer touchpoints to enhance overall customer experience and satisfaction.
Brand storytelling and content: Skill in crafting compelling brand narratives, developing content strategies, and overseeing the creation of engaging and relevant content across various channels and formats.
Marketing technology (MarTech): Familiarity with marketing automation platforms, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, and other MarTech tools to streamline marketing processes, track performance, and enhance campaign effectiveness.
Competitive analysis: Ability to conduct competitive research and analysis to identify market trends, monitor competitor activities, and leverage insights to differentiate the company’s offerings and strengthen market position.
Vice President Marketing tools
Hotjar: Hotjar is a user behaviour analytics and feedback tool that provides heatmaps, session recordings, and user surveys to gain insights into how visitors interact with a website. It helps understand user behaviour, identify areas of improvement, and optimise website performance.
CoSchedule: CoSchedule is a comprehensive marketing calendar and project management tool that allows teams to plan, schedule, and execute marketing campaigns collaboratively. It provides a centralised platform for organising content, social media, email marketing, and more.
BuzzSumo: BuzzSumo is a content discovery and social media analytics tool. It helps identify trending topics, analyse competitors’ content performance, and find influential industry voices. This tool assists in content planning, influencer outreach, and social media strategy.
Unbounce: Unbounce is a landing page and conversion optimisation platform that enables marketers to build and test high-converting landing pages without coding knowledge. It offers A/B testing, personalisation features, and integrations to improve conversion rates.
Finteza: Finteza is a comprehensive web analytics and marketing intelligence tool that provides detailed insights into website traffic, visitor behaviour, and conversion tracking. It offers real-time analytics, funnel analysis, heatmaps, and ad campaign monitoring for data-driven decision-making.
Canva: Canva is a user-friendly graphic design tool that allows marketers to create professional-looking visuals, such as social media posts, infographics, and presentations, without the need for design expertise. It provides pre-designed templates and a wide range of customisable elements.
Mention: Mention is a social media and brand monitoring tool that tracks online mentions of a brand, competitor, or industry keywords across various channels. It helps identify brand sentiment, track campaign reach, and engage with relevant conversations in real-time.
AnswerThePublic: AnswerThePublic is a content ideation tool that generates content ideas by analysing search queries related to specific topics. It provides insights into popular search queries, trending topics, and content gaps, assisting in content creation and SEO strategy.
OptinMonster: OptinMonster is a lead generation and conversion optimisation platform that helps marketers capture leads, reduce cart abandonment, and increase website conversions through targeted campaigns, personalised messaging, and behaviour-based triggers.
Meltwater: Meltwater is a media monitoring and social listening tool that tracks brand mentions, media coverage, and social media conversations. It enables marketers to monitor their brand reputation, track PR efforts, and gather market intelligence.
Interview questions
We’ve compiled a list of 95 marketing interview questions, often asked by employers at various interview stages.
Vice President Marketing FAQs
- How much does a VP of global marketing make?
- A VP of global marketing could make between £130,000 and £220,000. This would be depending on the size of the business, it’s growth plans and its budget. To earn towards the upper end of this scale, you would need to showcase evidence of previous success within a similar role and have the specific domain experience the business is looking for.
- Vice President of Marketing salary in the UK?
- A Vice President Marketing could earn a salary of between £130,000 to £220,000. This is dependent on numerous factors including the business size, its growth plans, its people budget, and the specific domain experience required in the role. On top of this, you would expect to have a benefits package which included pension contributions, healthcare cover and perhaps business equity.
- What does a marketing vice president do?
- The VP of Marketing is responsible for setting the brand vision and overall direction of the marketing teams, creating both a long- and short-term plan, using KPIs and objectives to review performance. The VP will need to ensure the customer is considered at each stage of the marketing process and oversee the user experience from start to finish, reporting to the CEO on strategic performance metrics.
- What skills does a VP of marketing need?
- A VP of Marketing needs to possess various skills in order to be successful at their role. These skills include: - Leadership skills to be able to lead and inspire their team. - Influencing skills to influencing stakeholders towards their business vision - Generalist marketing skills to be able to manage their team towards success and view the marketing strategy holistically. - Analytical skills to analyse competitive market, the target customer’s needs, and the results of marketing initiatives - Creative skills to be able to think outside the box and differentiate their brand from competitors.
- What is a VP of digital?
- A VP of digital marketing, you will manage the digital marketing strategy for the business, including all digital assets and platforms. Your role is to lead your junior marketing team to success utilising brand promotions, digital advertising, technology, and optimisation techniques. A VP of digital is also responsible for analysing KPI’s and return on investment metrics.
