Joe Garber is a multi-time Chief Marketing Officer who now works as a fractional CMO, helping early-to-mid-stage companies build strong foundations for growth. Over the years, he has worked with startups, fast-growing businesses, and large public companies like IBM, HP, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Micro Focus. His experience across all areas of marketing – from demand generation to brand building, product marketing, communications, and operations – gives him a unique advantage.
Joe Garber | CMO | Kainos Consulting, LLC
Joe is known for being a “full-stack” marketer, someone who has hands-on knowledge in every part of the marketing function, something few leaders can claim. At EliteX, we are proud to have Joe Garber as part of the edition: The Most Influential Marketing Experts to Watch, 2025.
Joe’s journey into marketing began earlier than most. While still in college, he took an internship in Washington D.C. with a U.S. Senator. His writing skills stood out, and he soon became the Assistant Press Secretary. This early exposure to the media world allowed him to work closely with major news outlets. After graduating, he joined the world’s largest PR firm at the time, where he led programs for major clients like McDonald’s. However, Joe wasn’t content staying in just the PR space. He wanted to broaden his expertise and dive deeper into marketing. That led him to pursue an MBA in marketing from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management, where he gained a deeper understanding of marketing as a profession.
“Embrace AI, but don’t lose your ability to think for yourself – your intuition and expertise still matter most.”
Joe was drawn to marketing because it blends art and science. On one side, there’s the data – market trends, conversion rates, benchmarks – that helps set targets. On the other side, there’s the creativity – the brand voice, the messaging, the design – that helps connect with people. Joe finds joy in striking this balance. While many technical founders focus too much on product features, Joe believes the key to successful marketing is focusing on the outcomes that matter to customers. For him, it’s all about understanding the “why” behind a product, not just the “what” or “how.”
Over time, Joe’s marketing approach has evolved, especially in terms of focus. In his early years, he didn’t have the tools or experience to tailor messages with precision. Today, he puts a strong emphasis on identifying the ideal customer profile (ICP) and developing target personas before launching any campaign. He believes that even the most advanced tools are useless if they’re not aimed in the right direction. Joe often reminds clients of one of his favorite sayings: “If you chase two chickens, you’ll catch none. But if you chase one, you’re more likely to catch it.” For him, focus is everything.
When asked what makes a marketing campaign truly successful, Joe says it’s the ability to connect deeply with the customer’s unmet needs. That emotional connection – not just flashy content – is what makes a campaign memorable. In his day-to-day work, Joe adapts to the tools required by the task. He may be hands-on in HubSpot, creating landing pages, or working with his team in Notion. When he’s working on strategy and results, he dives into tools like Salesforce, Google Analytics, Power BI, or Tableau to track progress and refine plans.
One of his favorite marketing experiences was leading a large campaign at Hewlett Packard Enterprise around GDPR and privacy laws. Joe worked with a London-based service provider to interpret new data regulations and map out the technology needed to comply. He then brought together over a dozen teams from six business units to package the solutions. The result was a global campaign that positioned HPE as a trusted leader in data privacy. Joe traveled across five continents over the next two years, speaking at events and educating companies on how to prepare for these new rules. This campaign showed his ability to handle complexity, work cross-functionally, and build thought leadership.
To stay current in the fast-moving marketing world, Joe reads trade publications and follows a trusted network of marketing experts on LinkedIn. But he also acknowledges that no one can keep up with everything. That’s why he values surrounding himself with people who have different strengths and knowledge. He believes that being a good leader means recognizing your blind spots and learning from others.
“Marketing is a blend of art and science – it’s about data, yes, but also about storytelling that connects at a human level.”
Looking to the future, Joe believes AI will be the biggest driver of change in marketing. It can help marketers plan strategy, create content, personalize outreach, and automate many tasks. But he also warns that AI needs to be guided carefully, with clear rules to avoid biased results or compliance issues. Marketers need to embrace AI but stay in control of the process.
One common challenge Joe has faced in his career is budget cuts. It’s not unusual to be partway through a campaign and hear from the CFO that money needs to be pulled back. Joe’s solution is to build flexibility into plans from the start and make sure to clearly show the financial impact of marketing efforts. When cuts are still needed, he relies on campaign data to prioritize what stays and what goes.
To those starting out in marketing, Joe offers this advice: learn how to communicate and lead. Tools and strategies are important, but real success depends on your ability to work with others, guide projects, and handle challenges. He encourages young professionals to learn how to rally a team, solve problems, and say “no” when necessary – skills that take time to develop but are essential for long-term growth.
Joe also believes personal branding is more important than ever. With job security becoming less certain and careers becoming more flexible, professionals need to stand out. It’s no longer enough to be good at your job – people need to know you’re good at it. A strong personal brand helps build that visibility and credibility.
One major thing that people often miss about marketing, according to Joe, is the importance of customer empathy. Knowing who your audience is – their struggles, hopes, and motivations – is the starting point for everything else. Without that, even the best tools and campaigns will fall flat.
As he looks ahead, Joe sees a future where marketing is even more driven by data, insights, and automation. Predictive analytics will help forecast trends, AI will handle more content creation and outreach, and campaigns will evolve in real-time. But in all this, he believes the human touch still matters. Machines can help, but marketers must continue to think for themselves and apply their unique insight and experience. To his fellow marketers and young professionals, Joe shares this final message: Embrace technology like AI, but don’t lose your own voice. Your judgment, creativity, and critical thinking are still your greatest assets. Keep using them.
“If you chase two chickens, you’ll catch none. But if you chase one, you’re more likely to catch it.”
