Behind every great business, there is the vision of a great marketing leader: And simpleshow is no exception

As the name suggests, “simpleshow” has a simple objective: to create explanations. Whatever your idea (or story) is, simpleshow will explain it in a simple and entertaining way. We know the idea comes alive when it reaches the audience well, and sometimes all it takes is a great way to present it. Whether for training, internal communication, or marketing, simpleshow can be used in any such scenarios. Making learning simpler and more fun, simpleshow rose to fame with its scientifically proven explanation approach. The company has spread its footprint globally with offices in USA, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, UK, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia etc.

Whether it is a corporate video, interactive learning content, or innovative video marketing - simpleshow’s video explainers leave a lasting impression. A great business like simpleshow must have a great leader who knows how to define and follow a vision to provide guidance and a framework for everyone involved in the company. And in fact, simpleshow’s CMO is passionate about driving the business forward with her ideas and efforts.

In conversation with Dr. Sandra Böhrs, CMO, simpleshow

simpleshow is simply fantastic! What you have to say about the company’s success and your contribution to it?

simpleshow.com was founded in 2008 by two young media school graduates with a simple idea—explaining complex things in simple and engaging videos that anyone can understand. This idea is still the core of the company and has made the start-up grow to be the market leader for the creation of explainer videos with tens of thousands of explainer video projects created. Today, simpleshow serves customers in more than 70 languages from 10 offices on 3 continents.

When I came on board in 2013, I found some distinct strengths, impressive creativity, and talent. One of my first major projects was a comprehensive market analysis, which resulted in a strategy paper that defined the company’s focus projects and almost 6 years later, it is still valid. One of the core achievements of the past couple of years is definitely the development and launch of mysimpleshow.com, a DIY explainer video creator that allows anyone to create their own explainer videos. With a high degree of artificial intelligence, mysimpleshow visualizes text input automatically and at the click of a button creates an animated simpleshow explainer video. mysimpleshow has become an important part of simpleshow’s growth strategy and has opened the world of simple explanations to many new target groups. Try it out!

A business is built by its strategies. How do you design the right strategies to carry out the company’s vision in a multi-channel world?

I think especially in a multi-channel world, brands need simple, yet clear messages and creative approaches of engaging the target group. Nowadays, marketing is often all about optimization. But I believe a CMO needs to think out of the box and forge new paths. This could mean testing new marketing channels, coming up with creative ways to motivate the team, or doing things that don’t immediately scale. Optimization alone is not a winning strategy.

Why do you think women are still strongly underrepresented in C level positions?

Women still face challenges in today’s business world that men don’t. Often, equality in the workplace is simply not a given and women find it hard to be heard and appreciated. Therefore, I think it is very important to garner support to other women. I personally take great joy in empowering other smart and ambitious women and hope I can do my part to help more women succeed.

How important is the role of a CMO in an organization?

Being closest to the customer and understanding market needs, CMO’s role cannot be denied in the data-dominated world of today. A successful CMO in my perception has a leadership philosophy that empowers people. As a CMO, it is my duty to influence the entire C level and to inspire new impulses.

You have proven time and again to be a game changer in simpleshow. How do you define your success in the organization?

I personally define success based on outcomes. While short-term success to me means validating assumptions, proving market traction of a product or service and getting the right people on board, long-term success means creating a value proposition that results in sustainable revenue growth. One factor that has helped me shape the growth of the company is the leadership quality that I imbibe. I usually have the urge to step up and gladly take a leading role to push ahead projects that are important to me. I don’t shy back from challenges and I encourage others to do the same. I think taking a lead is important.

Meet the Mastermind of Marketing

Dr. Sandra Böhrs, CMO: Sandra is a business management specialist with over 20 years of experience in strategic development, general management, and marketing management.

After holding management positions at Deutsche Bank and Deutsche Bahn, where she accomplished high-profile projects such as introducing Deutsche Bahn’s major customer loyalty program “Bahncard”, Sandra followed up on her own projects. Sandra was always focused on setting impulses to increase performance and moving strategic projects forward through step-by-step guidance, change management, and empowering people. In 2013 Sandra put her attention to a new project that fueled her thirst for education and knowledge. She leads product and market development efforts in her role as CMO in simpleshow.

Sandra is married with 2 kids. She enjoys yoga, playing the piano, and reading.

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