Probably the most difficult role in the C-suite

As funny as this cartoon is, it is a fact that the tenure of CMO:s is at its lowest level in more than a decade. The interesting question is why?

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The span of the role is almost infinite, especially in companies with small marketing teams. Branding, analytics, creative, media, e-com, sales support, product- and concept development, PR, CRM, customer service, handling the relation with a range of internal and external stakeholders and suppliers as well as successfully managing your own team. Oh, and you also need to be an excellent communicator. In larger teams, there is obviously specialists within the different areas – but still, as responsible for the function you still need to be the conductor.

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I have spent 20-something years in marketing management roles and my goal has always been to move the marketing team from the corner at the back of the office - where it in some cases has functioned as a hands-on-sales-supporting-production-unit - to a central position in the company. The fastest way to do this is to aim for the commercial agenda, align with sales and revenue teams, and show how marketing is contributing to commercial targets. Digitalization has obviously fueled this transformation, making marketing more visible when it comes to creating and delivering commercial results. The downside is that sales and management in most cases are looking for short term results and conversion, which shifts focus toward performance marketing and quick wins. The long-term marketing and brand-building initiatives often gets lower priority and the brand risks to stall, while the marketing team are busy putting all efforts into stimulating short-term tactics. ?

?"Probably the most difficult role in the C-suite"

We have talked about the declining tenure of CMO:s and the complex environment at a client seminar at EssenceMediacom in Stockholm in September 2022, discussing the fact that CMO probably is the most difficult role in the C-suite and that the playing field is developing with a crazy pace. The ever-growing possibilities that new marketing technology can offer compete for time and resources with all day-to-day tasks that also need to be done. It can be difficult to focus and prioritize – and thereby also to succeed. Add the situation during the past years where every organization in some extent has been affected by Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine, from total lockdowns to product shortage and severe distribution challenges. The marketing budget and marketing teams are unfortunately quickly affected when market demand decreases, although the value of the brand and client relations and communication should be top priority not at least in tough times.

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One reflection I have is that it seems really difficult for CMO:s to move higher up in the organization. The career path is often either horizontal within the organization or – as the tenure data shows – out. Maybe it is due to a combination of the broad and growing range of tasks and an unclear work description/expectation making it difficult to show success. Maybe it is the crazy pace of development and complexity within the field of marketing and tech which complicates the language and dialogue between the marketing team and the rest of the organization. Maybe it is that in tough times, sales always get prioritized over marketing and the power (short term campaigns and performance marketing) is moved to sales making the marketing organization less valued? Or maybe it is a question about relations and trust?

?"80% of CEOs don't trust or are unimpressed with their CMOs"

A Harvard Business Review article from 2017 (“Why CMOs never last”) refers to a 2012 global survey by the?Fournaise Marketing Group,?highlighting the tensions in the relations between CEO:s and CMO:s. The results reveal that 80% of CEOs don’t trust or are unimpressed with their CMOs (while only 10% of the same CEOs feel that way about their CFOs and CIOs)

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Nevertheless, the CMO-role is fun, rewarding and important - so how can a less rocky career road be achieved?

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First, when recruiting a CMO it is important to define which kind of profile you are looking for to ensure that both candidates and the employer have the same expectations. A typical job ad for a CMO has not changed that much during the years, while tech, tools and the overall commercial environment has changed dramatically. A dialogue around the top priorities for the role in a short- and long perspective and a joint understanding how marketing can contribute is important, when recruiting but also on an ongoing basis. Another important discussion is if available resources are somewhat aligned with the overall ambition? How do we measure success? Which are the key KPI:s driving business success?

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And for the CMO it is crucial to not get lost in detail or revert to their “safe” areas of expertise, but manage to keep a helicopter perspective and simplify, translate and connect the team’s effort into overall business targets. I believe in the CMO role as a generalist, which areas of responsibility has increased dramatically during the years fueled by digitalization and real-time customer interactions. The function, often referred to as a “support function” is today in the very heart of the company, managing the digital part of the business, function as the voice of the company through all channels and the owner of customer insights crucial for product and concept development and thereby client satisfaction.

?"The only way to fight complexity is by simplification"

It will be interesting to follow the development of CMO tenure going forward. The growing complexity and instability in the world are notable for all of us and the speed of marketing tech development will not slow down (you have probably seen the Marketing Technology Landscape supergraphic presenting a martech solution growth of 7258% over the past 12 years) In other words – increased complexity is here to stay. And the only way to fight complexity is by simplification.

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The skillset needed to not only survive but also to thrive in an ever-changing environment is to help your company to simplify and navigate through complexity, to make sure that every stakeholder understands how marketing is contributing to the overall business success, to take ownership of and lead the brand experience, and finally - to communicate clearly, not only to your target group but also to your team, peers and superiors.

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