What Should Marketing Do When the CEO Brings Out the Buzzwords?
The Three-Words Play: From BBC Radio to the Boardroom
I’m not sure if you get those moments when something everyday grabs you by the cuff and won’t let go. I was making my second cup of tea this morning, listening to a BBC Radio play, when three words stood out: diversify, evolve, pivot.
It wasn’t business radio. It wasn’t a high-flying entrepreneur talking about their unicorn valuation. They were talking about life, but in my head all I could hear was every CEO town hall I’ve ever sat through, every offsite strategy meeting, and every press release that’s tried a bit too hard. These three words have become the business world’s favourite cliché. But what happens when your CEO plants them stage centre in your strategy and team talks, and it’s down to the marketing team to make actual sense of them?
This post tackles what to do when you’re given the typical business bingo buzzwords, and you suspect the marketing team weren’t the originators of the script.
What Do We Actually Mean by Diversify, Evolve, and Pivot?
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. When these words come from the CEO, what do they actually mean for us?
What is Diversify in a Business Strategy Context?
In simple terms, diversify means opening up new income streams so the business isn’t relying on a single way to make money. It’s less “let’s throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks”, and more about calculated expansion, finding gaps or adjacent markets and stepping in with something new. For a marketing team, this can look like launching a fresh product, testing out a new audience segment, or even partnering with a brand you’d never have thought would neighbour yours on the high street[1][2].
The classic tool for thinking about diversification is the Ansoff Matrix, segmenting growth opportunities by market and product types. New market with new product? That’s the boldest play, and often carries the most risk (and reward)[3].
What Does Evolve Really Mean for a Business?
To evolve is to adapt, incrementally or radically, to survive and thrive as everything else shifts around you. For a business, this might mean refining the offer, changing processes, or updating the brand’s message so it’s still relevant to its people and customers. The trick is not just change for the sake of it, but change that matches market needs and the company’s direction[4].
From a marketing perspective, I see “evolve” as a call to monitor, tinker, and improve. Maybe it’s about switching up a tired campaign. Maybe it’s embracing new martech tools, or revisiting the customer journey so it really matches today’s buyer, who is probably expecting more, scrolling faster, and paying way less attention than last year.
Pivot: More Than Just a Startup Panic Button
You’ll hear pivot most in fast-moving businesses, but it’s not just for start-ups. A pivot is a sharp, strategic turn. It’s what you do when things aren’t working out as planned, or (even better) you spot a bigger, juicier opportunity somewhere else. It’s a shift in focus, sometimes as dramatic as Netflix moving from DVDs to streaming, or as nuanced as tweaking a brand’s messaging to reach a new demographic[5][4][6].
For marketing, the pivot means you need to drop what’s not working, focus on the signals from your market research, and get the team whole-heartedly behind the new direction.
The CEO: Buzzword Bullhorn or Strategic Visionary?
We all know the type. The CEO who arrives at your next all-hands, has just returned from a conference or read the latest Harvard Business Review article, and can’t stop talking about how we all need to diversify, evolve, pivot. The question is: If marketing didn’t suggest these moves, but now has to implement them, how do we step up?
Is the CEO Waving a Red Flag?
The first thing I’ve learned is this: when a CEO is front and centre with these words, it’s either because they’re genuinely seeing existential threats, or they think it makes them sound visionary. Either way, it’s a signal that they want change. Sometimes they’re asking the tough questions in public to see who’ll notice—the marketing team included.
Our Opportunity as Marketing: We’re the Interpreters
Marketing’s job is to translate big-picture strategy into actions that make sense to everyone else. We’re at the crossroads between product, sales, and customer. Ultimate interpreters, connectors, and (sometimes) spin doctors.
So, when the CEO’s stage script is “diversify, evolve, pivot”, it’s time for marketing to:
- Decode what it means for your business, not just what the CEO says.
- Audit where you are now, with honest data.
- Map out where there’s genuine opportunity (or threat).
- Communicate with honesty, inside and out.
How a Marketing Team Should Respond
Let’s break it down using our three themes. Here’s what I’d recommend when those buzzwords come down from above.
1. Turning Diversify Into Practical Steps
Don’t mistake “diversify” for scattered focus. The real challenge is to identify where the business has the right to play, and what the market genuinely wants. What pain-point are you solving? Where are your current strengths transferable? Use customer insights, competitive research, and your own channel data to build a list of credible options.
In practice, this could be:
- Exploring new content formats (podcasts if you’ve only done blog posts, for example).
- Testing new channels (is TikTok finally right for your B2B offering?).
- Bundling products for new market segments.
- Partnering with unexpected firms who share your audience (without being competitors).
At every stage, check: Is this opportunity truly “diverse” for your business, or just a minor tweak?
2. Evolving With More Than Empty Words
If “evolve” becomes the team mantra, make sure you track changes and show progress. What are you leaving behind? What are you building on? Don’t shy away from changing tactics, technologies, or campaigns that no longer spark engagement.
Adopt a test-and-learn mindset: measure, optimise, and report back in language the C-suite understands. Bring case studies of how incremental improvements made a difference (such as marketing automation boosting qualified leads, or consistent messaging across channels lifting NPS by a few points).
Evolution is about building credibility over time, not just jumping on the next trend.
3. Pivots: Plan, Communicate, Execute
A pivot isn’t a knee-jerk—at least not if you want it to succeed. If you’re being asked to pivot, build a business case rooted in data. Pinpoint the signals that support the need. Make your case to the leadership with numbers, not just anecdotes, and plot out your milestones for the new path[5][4][6].
Communicate the why. Share with the team, honestly, why you’re changing tack. Rally the marketing team so everyone’s clear about the new north star and what it means for their day-to-day work.
Remember, the best marketing pivots come with clear messaging for customers. See your campaigns as the external expression of that strategic shift; it’s more than a logo, it’s a new promise.
Real-World Scene: Making Buzzwords Useful
Let’s step away from the theory and see what this has looked like in real companies.
- PepsiCo’s move into wellness brands was a masterclass in diversification. By acquiring and developing products in healthier markets, they captured new consumers without risking their iconic cola business[6].
- Netflix pivoted from DVD rentals to video streaming. It could have stayed in a dying market, but the willingness to change direction not only kept them afloat, but made them an industry leader almost overnight[4].
- Apple evolved from computers to consumer electronics. The journey from Macs to iPods and iPhones redefined technology and culture (while their marketing made it all feel inevitable and cool)[4].
Every successful transformation started with spotting consumer trends and aligning internally—then acting with intent.
Are You Just Ticking Boxes, or Creating Value?
I sometimes ask marketing teams to be honest: Are you responding to buzzwords, or turning them into meaningful next steps?
Buzzwords become dangerous when they’re used without clarity or context. But the language isn’t the problem. The problem comes when teams aren’t invited to shape the “how”—or when there’s no follow-through.
If the CEO Brings the Words, Marketing Brings the Questions
Ask:
- What does “diversify” mean for us?
- Where are we seeing customer demand pulling us in new directions?
- Are we changing just to look busy, or to win?
- What will we stop doing to focus on the new bets?
Encourage challenge. Push for specifics. Your job is to walk the CEO from stage-centre inspiration through practical reality.
From Buzzword to Boardroom Table: The Marketing Takeaway
When buzzwords pop up on the company agenda, marketing’s job is to turn them into plans with outcomes. Keep calm, get the facts, listen to your customers, and don’t be afraid to turn three grand-sounding words into twenty honest questions.
The real work happens in the details—in the creative brainstorm, the campaign metrics, the alignment meetings. That’s what actually moves a business forward.
And who knows? Next time you hear “diversify, evolve, pivot”, you might just find yourself, like me, thinking less about bingo and more about the real path that runs from strategy chat to market share lift.
References and Further Reading
[1] How to Successfully Pivot Your Business Strategy in … https://www.bromleybusinesshub.org/the-importance-of-customer-service-for-local-businesses/
[2] Diversification Strategies To Thrive In A Changing Global … https://www.forbes.com/sites/benjaminlaker/2025/01/29/diversification-strategies-for-thriving-in-a-changing-global-economy/
[3] The Ansoff Matrix: A Powerful Tool for Business … https://www.thestrategyinstitute.org/insights/the-ansoff-matrix-a-powerful-tool-for-business-strategy-and-growth
[4] Pivot Strategy: PS: The Art of Reinvention https://fastercapital.com/content/Pivot-Strategy–PS—The-Art-of-Reinvention–How-Pivot-Strategies-Drive-Business-Evolution.html
[5] What Does Pivot Mean in Business? Is It a Viable Startup … https://ingressivecapital.com/what-does-pivot-mean-in-business-is-it-a-viable-startup-strategy/
[6] How To Execute A “Profitable” Pivot Strategy. https://www.smashbrand.com/articles/pivot-strategy/
[7] Adapt & Evolve: 5 Steps to Follow When Pivoting Your … https://www.digitalhill.com/blog/adapt-evolve-5-steps-to-follow-when-pivoting-your-business/
[8] When to Pivot: How Growth Strategies Change Over a … https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/when-pivot-how-growth-strategies-change-over-companys-jason-branin-xrgte
>>> Revolutionising Marketing Strategy with Theory of Change: A Comprehensive Guide for Modern Marketers
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