Marketing Challenge: The High Price of Success

The High Price of Success

The numbers jumped off the page: 37% response rate; 18% conversion rate. Yet another successful campaign for Bountiful Products. But instead of celebrating, Bountiful's marketing VP, Kaitlyn McKidrick, just sighed heavily, her excitement eclipsed by the issue at hand: Jack Craigman—or rather, his superiority complex.

Craigman is a master marketer. He can dive into customer data, create the right queries, and then use the insight he gathers from that process to create or tweak campaigns in ways that ensure double digit returns every time. He balances the art and science of marketing like the most accomplished performer strides the high wire. There's no doubting his abilities and successes. Marketing performance has skyrocketed since he joined the team last year.

But morale has plummeted in equal measure. Craigman is boastful about his successes. He's condescending toward junior marketing staffers and dismissive of his peers. He talks over colleagues in meetings and rarely considers their input when he leads a project or oversees a campaign.

McKidrick has spoken with Craigman several times about his attitude and approach. The situation improves for a few days and then Craigman resumes his bad behavior. McKidrick doesn't want to fire Craigman, but she also doesn't want to start losing other accomplished marketers on her team.

What should she do?