Let me answer this in two parts: how I stay adaptable as a CMO, and then a real-world example of a major pivot I had to make. How I stay adaptable? I never start with data. I start with a hypothesis—just like a scientist. What are we trying to prove? What are we trying to fix? I've taught research methods and mentored 200+ interns, so I bring an educator's mindset to the chaos of marketing. Once I have a clear theory, then I let the data challenge or support it. When disruption hits—whether it's a tanking funnel, a macroeconomic shift, or a platform algorithm change—I go back to first principles: What's still true about the customer? What do they fear, want, or need right now? What part of our strategy is now irrelevant? Are we playing defense out of fear or offense out of clarity? And then I move. Fast. But intentionally. One time I had to make a major adjustment? When political unrest hit Chile in 2019, I lost my entire travel business. It was devastating—50 people laid off, operations shut down overnight. That was my wake-up call. I realized I had built a business that depended on seasonality and geography. I'd grown revenue, sure—but I was also carrying that business on my back. Every new customer meant more overhead. That wasn't sustainable. So I pivoted hard. I built Strategic Pete, a remote-first, scalable agency model. Smaller team, better margins, deeper impact. Now I coach CEOs, run high-level strategy, and can run the entire operation from a backpack while filming a TV show or raising my kid. Adaptability isn't a tactic. It's survival.
One of the biggest changes I made was during a quarter when CPC went up across paid channels and lead flow slowed. Keeping the same plan would have wasted budget, so I cut spend on inflated campaigns and focused more on the channels that were already working. SEO pages that were ranking well got more attention, and I set up retargeting flows that made each click go further. That kept CAC steady at a time when many saw theirs rise. I watch CAC, LTV, and conversion rates every day. When those numbers go the wrong way, I take it as a clear sign to adjust budget. In that case, organic search and email carried better margins, while paid traffic had to be more selective. The change kept spend safe and even lifted conversion rates, because we leaned on people who were already close to taking action. The hardest part was making quick calls while keeping the team on the same page. Pausing campaigns that took weeks to build is never popular, but the data gave no choice. Talking about the decision in terms of pipeline value and revenue made it easier, and it kept the team moving in one direction. I've learned that adapting is less about planning for every event and more about trusting the numbers that tie right to growth. CAC and conversions give you the story in real time. When they move, you cut what's not working, put more into what is, and move fast. That way I've been able to stay on track during disruptions without losing budget or time. Name: Josiah Roche Title: Fractional CMO Company: JRR Marketing Website: https://josiahroche.co/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josiahroche
You have to be able to turn on a dime. I learned this the hard way during a sudden economic downturn a few years ago. Our marketing plan at the time was all about attracting new, big-ticket business. But when the market shifted, our customers stopped spending on big, expensive projects. Our old strategy was completely irrelevant, and we had to make a significant adjustment to our plans almost overnight. The most challenging aspect of that pivot was letting go of a marketing plan we had put so much effort into. It was hard to admit it was no longer working. But we knew we couldn't keep doing the same thing. So, we decided to pivot our entire marketing strategy from customer acquisition to customer retention and community. Here's how we did it. From an operations standpoint, we immediately shifted our focus away from stocking up on expensive parts and toward a high-volume of smaller, more cost-effective products. This was a direct response to our customers' new reality. From a marketing standpoint, we completely changed our message. We stopped running ads to attract new customers. Instead, we created content that focused on helping our existing customers survive the downturn. We created guides on how to do cost-effective maintenance and hosted forums where our customers could talk to each other and share tips. The goal wasn't to sell them a new part; it was to help them save money and get through a tough time. The result was that our sales stabilized, and we didn't lose our most loyal customers. We learned that true loyalty is built in a downturn, not in a boom. We showed them we were a partner, not just a vendor, and that our relationship was more important than a single sale. My advice is that the most resilient marketing strategy isn't the one that's built for a perfect market; it's the one that is built on a foundation of empathy and trust, because that's the one that will survive any disruption.
Adaptability has always been one of the most important parts of how I approach marketing leadership. As a CMO, I know that even the best-laid plans can be upended by market shifts, client needs, or external disruptions. Instead of clinging to a rigid strategy, I build flexible frameworks that allow me and my team to quickly assess what's working, cut what isn't, and redirect resources without losing momentum. For me, adaptability means listening to both data and people—tracking the metrics in real time, but also paying attention to customer sentiment and team feedback so we can respond holistically. One example came during the early days of the pandemic. I had mapped out an entire PR and branding campaign calendar that suddenly felt tone-deaf in light of what was happening globally. Rather than pushing ahead, I paused the scheduled content and redirected my team to focus on empathy-driven storytelling, resource sharing, and media strategies that acknowledged the uncertainty people were facing. We swapped promotional content for thought leadership, guides, and community-building initiatives. The pivot not only protected our reputation—it deepened trust with our clients and audiences. That experience reinforced my belief that adaptability isn't about tearing up the plan every time something changes; it's about building strategies that can bend without breaking and having the confidence to pivot quickly when circumstances demand it.
Adaptability comes from listening closely and acting quickly. I've learned that when disruptions hit, speed matters more than polish. Early in the pandemic, our planned campaigns around in-store foot traffic no longer made sense overnight. We had to pivot, not in weeks, but in days. I shifted spend from retail-based promotions into digital awareness and education, highlighting convenience and safety instead of location. The creative changed too, with straight talk, clear visuals, and no fluff. It wasn't perfect at launch, but it worked because it met people where they were. The big takeaway for me was trusting the team to move fast without waiting for every layer of approval. We cut red tape, leaned on each other's strengths, and kept refining as new data came in. That mindset has stayed with me since: plan hard, but be ready to scrap the plan when reality demands it.
I stay adaptable by drawing on my 30+ years of organizational leadership experience to spot patterns before they become crises. When COVID hit Huntsville's manufacturing sector, I noticed homeowners were facing different stressors than typical financial distress--they needed flexibility around timing and health safety concerns. We completely restructured our consultation process to offer virtual assessments and extended our closing timelines to accommodate quarantine periods, which actually strengthened our relationships with sellers who felt we genuinely understood their unique circumstances rather than rushing them through a transaction.
Adaptability in marketing comes from keeping culture at the center, not just the plan. At Ranked, when privacy changes disrupted social ads and cookies started to collapse, we had to rethink how to reach audiences authentically. Instead of doubling down on weaker targeting, we shifted to creator-led campaigns where trust was already built. A strong example is our Roku partnership, where we moved budget toward micro and nano creators in real time because their engagement outperformed traditional placements. That pivot turned disruption into opportunity and delivered stronger ROI with authenticity intact.
Adaptability, to me, is the heartbeat of marketing. As a founder, I've learned that strategies that look brilliant on a whiteboard can unravel the moment they meet real-world disruption. The key is not to cling to the plan, but to stay close to the market and let data and human behavior guide the pivots. One moment that stands out was during the early days of Zapiy. We had built a campaign around a carefully mapped content funnel, convinced it would resonate with small business owners. Midway through, an unexpected industry shift hit: our target customers were suddenly tightening budgets, pulling back on long-term commitments, and focusing only on immediate solutions. The campaign we had spent weeks crafting started underperforming—engagement was there, but conversions flatlined. Instead of pushing harder on a strategy that was no longer aligned with reality, I pulled the team together and we asked a simple but uncomfortable question: "What do our customers need right now?" That conversation changed everything. We scrapped half of our campaign assets, doubled down on shorter, value-driven content, and shifted our messaging from "transform your business" to "get through this month more efficiently." It wasn't glamorous, but it was exactly what our audience needed. Within weeks, we saw the difference—higher engagement, more trial signups, and most importantly, stronger trust with our community. That experience reinforced something I've carried with me ever since: adaptability isn't about having a Plan B waiting in the wings, it's about building a culture where your team feels safe to pause, reassess, and respond quickly without ego. As CMO, I've come to see adaptability less as a reactive measure and more as an operating principle. Markets will always shift. Disruptions will always come. The leaders who thrive are the ones who know when to hold the course and when to change direction without hesitation. That balance has made all the difference for us at Zapiy.
I treat every plan as a draft. When COVID hit, we paused a major in-store launch and pivoted in 48 hours to virtual demos, live Q&As, and rapid e-commerce rollout. Keeping a pre-approved 'plan B' budget and cross-functional war room let us move fast without losing momentum.
Market disruptions are pressure tests for your strategy. When AI upended how people discover content, we didn't cling to old SEO playbooks. We restructured everything to rank in Google and appear in ChatGPT or Perplexity answers. That meant clean structures, scannable insights, and embedded demos that models could cite. The adjustment felt risky at first, but it made us more visible than competitors who stayed static. True adaptability is about leaning into shifts early, not waiting until you're forced.
When I worked with startups in a CMO advisory role, adaptability was less of a choice and more of a survival skill. One example that sticks with me was when a startup had a major product launch lined up, and just a week before, a competitor released something strikingly similar. The original marketing plan suddenly felt irrelevant. Instead of scrapping everything, we reframed the campaign to emphasize differentiation, doubling down on customer pain points the competitor hadn't addressed. We also shifted budget from broad awareness to targeted customer education, creating quick-turn content that highlighted unique use cases. The adjustment worked in our favor. Not only did it prevent the launch from being overshadowed, but it also positioned the startup as more thoughtful and customer-centric. What I learned from that experience is that adaptability comes from keeping processes light and decision-making fast. If campaigns are built too rigidly, you can't pivot when the market throws a curveball. My advice to other CMOs would be: design your marketing system with room to breathe, because disruptions aren't exceptions, they're the rule.
The way we get the word out is a lot simpler. Our marketing plan has to be ready to change at a moment's notice because in this business, the biggest market disruptions are storms. A few years back, we had a major hailstorm hit Houston without much warning. My normal marketing plan—a few online ads and referrals—was not going to cut it. The phones started ringing off the hook, but there were so many people in need that we had to adjust our strategy fast. It wasn't just about getting jobs anymore; it was about getting to the people who needed us most. My team and I dropped everything else. We put together a small team and went straight into the hardest-hit neighborhoods. We weren't just knocking on doors to sell. We were leaving behind checklists for homeowners to spot storm damage, and we had our guys offering free inspections on the spot. We used our social media not to run ads, but to post short, simple videos explaining what to look for on a roof after a hail event. We focused on being a resource first and a business second. The results were massive. Our presence in the neighborhoods brought in more leads than any online campaign ever could. We weren't just a company from the internet; we were the guys who were there, helping people in person after the storm. The trust we built with those homeowners led to a ton of referrals in the following months. My advice is simple: you can't be tied to a rigid marketing plan. When a real crisis hits, your strategy should be to meet the immediate need of the community you serve. The best marketing you can do is show up when people need you.
You know, staying adaptable is all about building a resilient marketing stack that can pivot at a moment's notice. The key is to constantly monitor market sentiment and consumer behavior. We recently had to completely overhaul a major ad campaign after a sudden, unexpected market disruption caused our initial messaging to feel out of touch. We quickly paused the old ads and launched a new campaign focused on community and support, which not only maintained our brand's reputation but also resonated with our audience on a much deeper level.
To me, it's never treating a strategy as if it's chiselled in stone. I construct plans with flexibility integrated into them, I scrutinise data in real-time compulsively, and I keep the team prepared to shift gears when things change. It's about finding a balance between discipline and humility, being willing to say, 'I was wrong about an approach. And shifting gears immediately rather than doubling down on failure. A great case in point was during the pandemic. We'd just invested heavily in a campaign anchored on event-based marketing in person, and overnight, it was out of the question. I didn't freeze or panic but directed our budget to digital-first engagement: virtual events, highly personalised email campaigns, and further extension into short-form video. What was originally damage control wound up growing our virtual community and solidifying customer relationships. Adaptability to me is not about survival; it's about where new things become innovative.
I stay adaptable by building marketing that can pivot instantly based on real data. When Las Vegas faced a surge of new cash-buying competitors last year, we shifted our SMS campaigns overnight to emphasize our experience with over 700 local deals and our streamlined, transparent process. This focus on trust and efficiency not only maintained our lead flow but boosted conversions by 20% by reassuring homeowners they weren't just another number.
The pandemic hit our industry hard. Our entire model was built on in-person care, and suddenly, we couldn't do that. Our marketing plan went from a polished, long-term strategy to a scramble to figure out how to reach people who were isolated and scared. We had to be adaptable or we weren't going to make it. My "aha" moment was realizing that our old messaging was useless. Telling people to "come to our center" wasn't relevant when they were stuck at home. The pivot wasn't about a new marketing trick; it was about shifting from a business-first mindset to a mission-first mindset. The new strategy wasn't about marketing; it was about serving. We immediately changed our message. Our content went from "come get help" to "here's how you can find hope in isolation." We created videos on how to manage anxiety at home and how to find an online support group. We completely stopped trying to sell a service and just started providing resources. We went from advertising our center to advertising a helping hand. We not only survived; we found a whole new way to help people. We were able to reach people who lived outside of Columbus, people we never could have helped before. My advice is simple: the key to being adaptable in a crisis isn't to change your mission; it's to hold on to your purpose and let go of your plan. If you know why you're doing something, you'll always find a way to do it.
I stay adaptable by focusing on the specific challenges homeowners in our community face during crises. For example, when a major Huntsville employer announced layoffs last fall, we immediately shifted our marketing from general home buying to addressing the urgent needs of families at risk of foreclosure. We launched targeted campaigns emphasizing our ability to provide fair, all-cash offers with flexible timelines, which helped over a dozen families transition smoothly during that economic disruption.
"Adaptability isn't about predicting disruption it's about turning disruption into momentum." Adaptability in marketing isn't about having all the answers it's about building a framework that allows for rapid course correction without losing sight of your core mission." When the pandemic disrupted our pipeline overnight, we pivoted from in-person events to a fully digital-first strategy within weeks. Instead of seeing it as a setback, we treated it as an opportunity to scale faster doubling down on virtual campaigns, leveraging social channels more aggressively, and personalizing outreach with data-driven insights. The shift not only helped us retain momentum but also expanded our reach to markets we hadn't tapped before.
I stay adaptable by treating every market disruption as a data point that teaches me something new about my customers' needs. When Augusta's tourism industry took a hit during economic uncertainty, I had to completely rethink how I marketed my Airbnb properties near Augusta National. Instead of targeting traditional golf tourists, I pivoted to marketing extended-stay packages for remote workers and families visiting the area for medical treatments at local hospitals. I drew on my restaurant background to focus on the 'hospitality experience' rather than just the golf proximity, and it actually opened up a year-round revenue stream I hadn't considered before.
I've found that staying adaptable in real estate means keeping my ear to the ground at the community level. When Hurricane Sally hit our Gulf Coast market in 2020, we had to completely pivot from our standard marketing approach. Instead of promoting our quick closing timelines, we shifted to emphasizing our ability to purchase severely damaged homes when insurance payouts weren't enough for repairs. We created targeted campaigns for the hardest-hit neighborhoods and partnered with local contractors to provide resources. This adjustment not only helped dozens of families move forward but taught me that real marketing agility comes from deeply understanding the immediate needs of homeowners in crisis.