Walmart’s CMO on the Power of Intentional Moves and "No Look Backs"

When William White took on the role of chief marketing officer at Walmart, he considered it not only an honor to be working for the No. 1 Fortune 500 company, but also a dream job at a brand that comes with much responsibility. Not to mention, he just so happened to start his first-ever CMO role right at the start of a global pandemic. 

“To join during that time, I was able to build relationships potentially in ways that would have taken much longer…because we were really rolling up our sleeves and digging in to help,” William said.  

And although he could have never planned to start a dream job during a crisis, the moves he has made throughout his career have been shaped by being very intentional. From deciding to take his first agency job in New York City because it was in the largest media market to almost leaving his brand role at The Coca-Cola Company but deciding to stay, which proved to be “training ground” during his nine years there. Even his decision to from CPG to retail for Target where he served as SVP of marketing was made because he felt having experience in both would help set up his plans for the future.

William explained “When I have made a move, there’s no look back. … I felt like I got everything out of the company and the experience before going.”

Walmart’s Janey Whiteside Discusses Marketing as an Investment, Not Just Spend

In this episode of CMO Moves, William discusses the power and potential of the brand’s membership program Walmart+, the brand’s partnership with TikTok and how they brought the first shoppable live stream to the U.S., and how they are positioning themselves to be a leader in the space. 

Tune in to hear about his road to becoming the CMO of Walmart, the evolving role of the CMO, how he’s tackling DEI as a leader and of course, what he would be if he wasn’t a CMO.

This episode is also available on Spotify, iHeartRadio, and Apple Podcasts.