{"id":105775,"date":"2025-12-10T20:20:59","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T20:20:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2025\/12\/10\/mercado-libre-cmo-i-only-make-1-of-the-decisions-and-im-proud-of-it\/"},"modified":"2025-12-10T20:22:06","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T20:22:06","slug":"mercado-libre-cmo-i-only-make-1-of-the-decisions-and-im-proud-of-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2025\/12\/10\/mercado-libre-cmo-i-only-make-1-of-the-decisions-and-im-proud-of-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Mercado Libre CMO: \u2018I only make 1% of the decisions. And I’m proud of it\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Sean Summers is govt vice-president and CMO of Latin America\u2019s greatest e-commerce platform and a nominee for this yr\u2019s International Marketer of the 12 months. Right here, he talks concerning the significance of risk-taking and why he\u2019s launched into a hiring freeze to drive his groups to upskill in AI.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sean Summers is a risk-taker, although you may not comprehend it from his early profession. Becoming a member of Pepsico in 2002, he spent eight years climbing the ladder to ultimately lead advertising for snack manufacturers earlier than becoming a member of Twinings within the UK as advertising director. As a substitute of hopping to the subsequent meals model or CPG large, Summers made a transfer that, on paper, might need appeared odd. He joined an e-commerce firm in a common administration position. Mercado Libre is Latin America\u2019s reply to Amazon and Monzo mixed; a web based procuring large with a fintech division on the facet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe factor that received me excited was the training curve. I used to be going to be completely out of my depth on nearly the whole lot. And I used to be naive sufficient to suppose that that might occur only for the primary yr. Yeah\u2026it\u2019s been the identical for the final 13 years,\u201d he laughs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Throughout his tenure, Mercado Libre\u2019s share value has risen nearly 2,400% and it now dominates the LatAm market. Summer time\u2019s position has additionally expanded to incorporate not solely consumer-facing advertising, but in addition its burgeoning promoting enterprise (in Q3 alone, it grew 63% year-over-year), in addition to its gross sales and product divisions.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdvertising has lastly graduated right here in Mercado Libre. We now have confirmed that we’re a enterprise driver. Being a know-how firm, it\u2019s nearly like no person believed in advertising. It\u2019s all concerning the product and in case you construct the suitable product, folks will come. However that\u2019s not the case now. When you construct the suitable product, you get the prospect to speak about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regardless of being based in 1999 and an IPO in 2007, the advertising operate at Mercado Libre was solely formally created in 2018. Beforehand, every enterprise unit of the corporate operated independently. Beneath Summers\u2019 path, the operate has grown to deal with 500 folks and investments have elevated by over 100x in that point. \u201cI\u2019ve by no means been in a enterprise the place each single month you shut and [the board] asks \u2018you already know, we may make investments a bit bit extra? Do you have got an current technique that may ship a bit bit extra, or a brand new technique that we might be investing in?\u2019 It wasn\u2019t at all times that means.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taking dangers<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s the form of speak that CMOs studying this story will envy: greater budgets with fewer questions requested on the way it\u2019s spent. Summers credit the belief that his advertising has earned, considerably paradoxically, to the tradition of risk-taking that has been fostered.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn an effort to win on this very aggressive market, it’s a must to make choices actually quick. It’s important to take dangers. I make just one% of the selections in advertising as a result of I’ve a workforce of people who find themselves actually sensible, and they’re empowered to make choices.\u201d<\/p>\n

Take its sponsorship of 21-year-old F1 driver Franco Colapinto. Summers says the choice (one of many few he\u2019s needed to green-light) would imply ploughing finances into a comparatively unknown sportsman on the time with no assure that he would make it to the worldwide stage. To some other marketer, this would possibly seem to be an enormous danger that might inevitably be debated on the highest ranges. But from listening to concerning the alternative to agreeing, it took Summers simply 48 hours to signal on the dotted line again in August 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the calculated danger. Why not X, Y and Z is one dialog. Then let\u2019s simply fucking do it. What\u2019s the worst that may occur? Individuals have change into too conservative and too frightened about whether or not it doesn\u2019t work out. I made the choice assuming that it wouldn\u2019t work out. However as a result of the remainder of the demand era engine is working very well, we’ve the posh of getting that. And in case you are not taking danger, what\u2019s the message that you simply\u2019re sending to the workforce?\u201d<\/p>\n

Within the months that adopted, Colapinto would go on to change into the Check and Reserve Driver for BWT Alpine F1 Team<\/a>. When Summers came upon that he was going to be a quantity two seat, the advertising workforce developed a TV advert in simply two weeks to announce the information to followers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve by no means been in a spot the place the advert grew to become the information. We received 12m natural views within the first 24 hours, nearly 20m views within the first 48 hours. It was insane. I had by no means participated in one thing so viral. \u201d<\/p>\n

It was a guess that paid off. And one Summers may solely make because of the \u201csocial capital\u201d that he\u2019d accrued from figuring out the place the opposite 99% of its advertising finances is spent and precisely the way it delivers for the corporate.<\/p>\n

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Wish to go deeper? Ask The Drum<\/h4>\n


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\u201cEach time that we ship enterprise outcomes, we earn social capital. However we’ve to have the heart to make use of that social capital. One of many issues I really like is that we don\u2019t ask for permission. We apologize. I\u2019ve been in organizations the place there\u2019s forms and it’s a must to ask everybody, can we do it? There\u2019s no such factor [here]. There\u2019s 100% accountability on our facet for the issues we do proper and the issues that don\u2019t work out. So that provides us 100% freedom to make the selections. And if my administration fashion is to present my workforce 100% of possession and independence to make choices, I count on the remainder of the group to honor that. And if I screw up, the workforce screws up, no massive deal. Why would you construct social capital and never use it?\u201c<\/p>\n

That he willingly arms over the overwhelming majority of promoting decision-making can be emblematic of the truth that Summers doesn’t see his position because the orchestrator of the model\u2019s communications. Sure, he\u2019s chief advertising officer, however he’s chargeable for a myriad of different business-critical capabilities in addition to the rising retail media community. He neither wants nor needs to log off on each advert that goes to market. Take this yr\u2019s all-important Christmas marketing campaign \u2013 he noticed it only a few days earlier than the nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hate what marketeers have executed over the past 20 years. We now have turned advertising right into a communications space. And I couldn\u2019t be extra towards it. I made that selection on goal. Over the past six years, I’ve discovered people who find themselves higher than I’m at judging creativity. If I need to create an atmosphere the place they’re making choices, I’ve to belief them.\u201d<\/p>\n

His greatest message for the trade is {that a} CMO can not spend their days approving copy. \u201cOur operate is a lot extra important from a enterprise viewpoint that we shouldn\u2019t permit it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reinvent the advertising operate yearly<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Summers lives by the philosophy of \u201cwhat labored for us final yr just isn’t going to work for us subsequent yr.\u201d Within the early days, he may create a advertising plan \u2013 a formulation \u2013 optimize it, rinse and repeat the subsequent yr. He grew to become a grasp of that formulation. He now has to begin from scratch each 12 months.<\/p>\n

\u201cIrrespective of how profitable we’re, we’ve to reinvent all the demand era engine each 12 or 18 months. That\u2019s the one means. We’re in fast-paced industries. Our rivals are good, and they’re going to catch up. So except we make aware efforts to maintain innovating in a quick means, they\u2019re going to catch us.\u201d<\/p>\n

No shock, then, that AI is high of thoughts by way of the way it can do extra, sooner. As an e-commerce firm, its investments within the foundations of this tech have been ongoing for almost a decade. Nevertheless, since 2023, it has had a specific give attention to generative AI, with its 20,000 software program builders and customer support groups being tasked with integrating it into their processes. This yr, the advertising operate was tasked with attending to grips with how the tech can gas productiveness, effectivity and effectiveness within the coming years. Right now, each component of the promotional calendar, branding actions and efficiency advertising has been deliberate with a view to how Gen AI instruments will assist its groups ship extra.<\/p>\n

\u201cEight years in the past, we had zero media presence. Right now, 52 weeks of the yr we’re throughout all media: open TV, cable TV, digital, YouTube, out-of-home, you title it. So you’ll be able to think about, the quantity of artistic that we’re producing is big. How will we make it extra environment friendly in a means that doesn\u2019t detract from high quality?\u201c<\/p>\n

It calls for that each member of the advertising unit be proficient in AI, and for Summers, that has meant a hiring freeze ostensibly supposed to drive them to undertake new instruments. He explains: \u201cWe determined that it was a superb time to create a constraint. So we\u2019re not going to develop the headcount, despite the fact that we aspire to continue to grow like loopy. We’re forcing ourselves to extend the adoption of all Gen AI instruments.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the start it was a bit bit scary, however everybody embraced it.\u201d<\/p>\n

On efficiency advertising, for instance, it has its personal content material creation, attribution and optimization instruments. Proper now, 80% of marketing campaign work that flows by way of the system is automated with human \u201csupervision\u201d managing 20%. \u201cWe need to push that 20%. How do you flip it to zero? By creating brokers that do this supervision.\u201d<\/p>\n

Or take its current entry into the TikTok world. Referrals from TikTok are going by way of the roof however having the model present up there in a shoppable means meant it wanted to provide tens of millions of customized movies for particular person merchandise. Gen AI was the one reply.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, we’re the most important supplier of movies to TikTok worldwide. However as an alternative of telling one thing humorous, we\u2019re attempting to present you the reason why to purchase this product, and in two clicks, you’ll be able to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now it\u2019s handed those self same Gen AI instruments over to product producers and sellers \u2013 giving them scripts, photos and a ultimate video in a matter of minutes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s its Christmas advert \u2013 created utilizing AI. Or a marketing campaign it created for Samsung? Additionally, AI made.<\/p>\n

Summers dispels any notion that this large shift in the direction of automation is something for its advertising workforce to fret about. He insists it\u2019s not about changing the folks, however fairly making the work they spend time on extra fascinating, to make room for revolutionary, entrepreneurial considering and empower them to push boundaries.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce I began my profession, advertising was the place to be in enterprise. However I speak with younger folks now and I\u2019m undecided that they see it like that [anymore]. And I believe it\u2019s our fault. We haven\u2019t made it thrilling. We\u2019re not innovating. We\u2019re not taking dangers. We’re not getting exterior of our consolation zone,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe advertising operate, irrespective of during which trade you’re employed, is altering so quick that you have to let go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sean Summers has been nominated for The Drum and the World Federation of Advertisers\u2019 International Marketer of the 12 months Award 2025. Yow will discover out extra concerning the accolade and this yr\u2019s nominees <\/strong>here<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Earlier winners of the award embrace Asmita Dubey, chief digital and advertising officer at L\u2019Or\u00e9al, who received for 2023, and Marcel Marcondes, international chief advertising officer at AB InBev, <\/strong>who won for 2024<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n