The CMO role is truly unique. Unlike the more established C-suite roles, such as CEO, CFO, and COO, the CMO is relatively new—and thus more immature. Roles like these take years (even decades) to define and grow into.
Complicating reality even more: Of all the roles in the C-suite, I’d argue that the CMO is the most widely varied role depending on the industry, sector, and stage of company. As a result, it’s crucial to know exactly what skillset is needed in each aspect of the job.
A Brief History
If we look back just 10 years ago, CMOs were a rare find outside of CPG companies. Marketing was more likely rolled up through sales, the COO, or some kind of shared service. The highest position you might have seen in marketing was at the VP level.
Marketing was known for producing “the fluffy stuff” instead of the heavily analytical data and processes it serves up today. Back then, no one would’ve ever asked a marketer for hard ROI.
And it’s a good thing, too, because you wouldn’t have had it.
So how did we get here? How did marketing go from being virtually invisible to the fuel that keeps the entire engine running?
Unlike other company functions, marketing has grown to encompass multiple specialties, touching everything internal and external, from prospects and customers to employees and investors. It’s for this reason I believe today’s CMOs will quickly become tomorrow’s CEOs and co-founders.
While this diversity of responsibility gives marketing a seat at a number of different tables around the company, it also makes it extremely difficult to find leaders who can “do it all.” Today’s CMOs must be both a brand pioneer, analytics warrior, and an operator. They must be both right-brained and left-brained. Plus, because they are usually the face of the brand, they must also have strong presentation skills and be exceptional at building teams.
As I reflect on all that CMOs are asked to do, I wonder if we set them up for failure by having the wrong measures of success and, more importantly, unrealistic expectations. The bar should be set high, but with the median tenure of CMOs today being approximately two years, it is worth consideration.
7 CMO Personas
The modern CMO must be good at so many things–yet I don’t know anyone who can do them all at the highest level of competency. Rather, I see seven CMO personas most commonly in business today. I haven't seen anyone take a stab at naming the personas, so here is my take.
• The Thought Leader: These executives are out in the field, speaking and evangelizing for their brand. They’re great at creating a category and telling stories that engage new listeners. These are often authors, writers, speakers, and visionaries.
• The Growth Hacker: I call this the “demand-gen CMO.” This CMO goes deep into Excel spreadsheets to drive bottom-up demand-gen programs. They almost always come from marketing ops, demand gen, or even finance.
