What CEOs want from marketers: Gregory A. Dufour, the CEO of Camden National Bank, Camden, Maine, sees marketers as more than mere advertising generators. He views them as business problem-solvers.

• Position: CEO Profile - Interview

Gregory A. Dufour President and Chief Executive Officer Camden National Bank and Camden National Corp., Camden, Maine

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For more than 20 years, Greg A. Dufour immersed himself in the financial side banking. Then, when he was named president and chief executive officer of Camden National Bank, Camden, Maine, he discovered that, with the many changes taking place in the industry, he needed to learn more--a lot more--about the unfamiliar terrain of bank marketing.

He started to uncover the mysteries of marketing by attending bank marketing conferences and networking with its attendees. Over time, he found himself serving on the ABA Marketing Conference planning committee and becoming the CEO adviser to the ABA Marketing Network. His experience as a finance-oriented executive provides a helpful perspective on the profession of bank marketing.

What has been your involvement with bank marketing over the years?

Since most of my career was focused on the financial part of the banking business, my exposure to bank marketing was relatively limited at the time I was named president and CEO of Camden National. I recognized the need to develop skills in those areas so I joined the ABA's Bank Marketing Network and started to attend the ABA Marketing Conferences. That exposure, along with the people I met, provided me great on-the-job-training.

While I had an understanding of basic marketing, sales and advertising, the ABA Marketing Network and Marketing Conference provided me with a crash course in the issues as well as a view of the opportunities facing bank marketers. Those early learning experiences significantly impacted my view of a CEO's responsibilities with respect to marketing.

As a result of your bank marketing experience, have you developed any kind of attitude toward or philosophy about bank marketing?

My philosophy about bank marketing can be summed up this way: The CEO has to own the bank's brand. Just as any successful CEO "owns" the bottom line, in good and bad times, I believe CEOs have to dedicate their time and energy to building and growing their organization's brand as much as they do for other parts of their business.

I remember reading a book about Steve Jobs and Apple which described how fanatical he was regarding the design, functionality and look of Apple's products, especially the iPod. Steve Jobs had a vision of what an Apple experience should be and while he harnessed many resources and delegated many...