Crystal Eastman, Zeta Global’s first CMO, still connects
with the book she has loved since she was twelve years old.
The book, The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, focuses on embracing your own unique point of view and your true authentic self
regardless of the cost, Eastman said. “That applies to marketing and the discipline of design thinking, being laser focused on your customer,” she said. “The need to hold steadfast
to those beliefs, and endlessly champion the customer’s needs is the daily battle for every senior marketer.”
Zeta, a cloud-based marketing technology company, recently announced
Eastman as the company’s first CMO during a series of moves to strengthen its executive team.
Eastman joins Zeta from The Trade Desk, where she was head of global marketing and was
responsible for global go-to-market strategies including product marketing, sponsorships and events, and global campaign activation. Eastman has held numerous senior marketing positions throughout her
career, including leadership roles at American Express, and BlackRock.
"Being able to build a brand from scratch is truly every marketer's dream," Eastman said. "It's a unique opportunity to
be with a company that's already proved its value."
Throughout the years, B2B marketing has had to play catch-up with consumer marketing, but ultimately, it’s humans, even in
enterprises, who make big-purchase decisions.
It’s about developing more human-type brands in B2B marketing. “Zeta didn’t need a CMO when they focused on products, but now
they are focusing on brand awareness,” she said. “It’s different. It’s the next stage of maturity for the company.”
That change Eastman spoke about continues to
flourish. In June, the company inked a partnership with Dun & Bradstreet to create a new market segment that combines consumer and business data into a private data cloud with more than 220
million permission-based profiles of individuals across the United States.
When asked about the best piece of business advice she has received throughout her career, Eastman said Frank Cooper,
the CMO of Blackrock, stressed something she called “stopping power,” because if the marketer didn’t grab the person’s attention, it didn’t matter how important the story
if no one can hear it.
Based in Manhattan, Eastman will be responsible for global marketing strategy and execution, including brand activation; performance marketing; corporate communications;
public relations; events and sponsorships; client engagement; and Zeta’s brand.