A chief marketing officer (CMO), also called a chief brand officer (CBO), is a C-suite corporate executive responsible for managing

marketing Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of Business administration, business management and commerce. Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or ma ...

activities in an organization. The CMO leads

brand management In marketing, brand management refers to the process of controlling how a brand is perceived in the market (economics), market. Tangible elements of brand management include the look, price, and packaging of the product itself; intangible element ...

marketing communications Marketing communications (MC, marcom(s), marcomm(s) or just simply communications) refers to the use of different marketing channels and tools in combination.Tomse, & Snoj, 2014 Marketing communication channels focus on how businesses communicate ...

(including

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a Product (business), product or Service (economics), service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of int ...

, promotions and

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. Pu ...

market research Market research is an organized effort to gather information about target markets and customers. It involves understanding who they are and what they need. It is an important component of business strategy and a major factor in maintaining com ...

product marketing Product marketing is a sub-field of marketing that is responsible for crafting the messaging, go-to-market flow, and promotion of a product. Product marketing managers can also be involved in defining and sizing target markets. They collaborate w ...

, distribution channel management,

pricing Pricing is the Business process, process whereby a business sets and displays the price at which it will sell its products and services and may be part of the business's marketing plan. In setting prices, the business will take into account the ...

, customer success, and

customer service Customer service is the assistance and advice provided by a company to those who buy or use its products or services, either in person or remotely. Customer service is often practiced in a way that reflects the strategies and values of a firm, and ...

. The CMO typically reports to the

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

and may be reported to by senior vice presidents, vice presidents, directors, and other senior marketing managers. Historically, some jurisdictions have conferred legal responsibility upon marketing chiefs, but the use of modern-day titles typically does not correspond to a legally defined role. A study from

consulting firm A consulting firm or simply consultancy is a professional service firm that provides expertise and specialised labour for a fee, through the use of consultants. Consulting firms may have one employee or thousands; they may consult in a broad ra ...

Spencer Stuart in 2021 showed that women made up 47% of CMO positions in 2020, an increase from the 43% reported in 2019. 13% of CMOs had a racially or ethnically diverse background in 2020, down from 14% in 2019.

Responsibilities

As part of the senior management, the CMO is involved in developing and adjusting company strategy and plans based on market conditions and competitive dynamics. CMOs may be involved in departments such as production,

information technology Information technology (IT) is a set of related fields within information and communications technology (ICT), that encompass computer systems, software, programming languages, data processing, data and information processing, and storage. Inf ...

corporate communication Corporate communication(s) is a set of activities involved in managing and orchestrating all internal and external communications aimed at creating a favourable point of view among stakeholders on which a company depends. Riel, Cees B.M. van; Fo ...

documentation Documentation is any communicable material that is used to describe, explain or instruct regarding some attributes of an object, system or procedure, such as its parts, assembly, installation, maintenance, and use. As a form of knowledge managem ...

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

human resources Human resources (HR) is the set of people who make up the workforce of an organization, business sector, industry, or economy. A narrower concept is human capital, the knowledge and skills which the individuals command. Similar terms include ' ...

, and

finance Finance refers to monetary resources and to the study and Academic discipline, discipline of money, currency, assets and Liability (financial accounting), liabilities. As a subject of study, is a field of Business administration, Business Admin ...

. One

Gartner Gartner, Inc. is an American research and advisory firm focusing on business and technology topics. Gartner provides its products and services through research reports, conferences, and consulting. Its clients include large corporations, gover ...

analyst predicted that in the future CMOs will spend more on IT than their counterpart CIOs, with many modern CMOs handling increasing amounts of customer-facing technology implementations. According to McKinsey, few senior-executive positions will be subject to as much change over the next few years as that of the chief marketing officer. The CMO is responsible for facilitating growth, sales and marketing strategy. They work towards objectives such as revenue generation, cost reduction, or risk mitigation. The CMO completes tasks that fall into three different categories: Analytical tasks, such as pricing and market research; creative tasks, such as graphic design, advertising and product, and service promotion; and interpersonal tasks, such as coordinating with other company executives in creating alignment on strategy and execution plans. CMOs see customer loyalty as their top priority in the digital era; their second priority is to design experiences for tablets and

mobile apps A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on d ...

Challenges

The unpredictable effect of marketing efforts and the need to drive profits often leads to a short tenure for most CMOs. Consulting firm Spencer Stuart revealed average CMO tenure in 2020 was 40 months, which was the lowest in a decade. In comparison, the average CEO tenure is 7 years. In a CMO mapping study done by Raines, CMOs are losing influence. A proportion of CMOs don't feel valued, and many CMOs don't have clear alignment with their CEOs on key performance metrics.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chief Marketing Officer Management occupations * Corporate titles

Responsibilities

Challenges

See also

References

Further reading

External links