Three People-Centric Shifts Evolving the Role of the CMO

Two years ago, I was sitting in front of my computer deep in thought (like I am now) penning the ANA CMO Talent Challenge Playbook.  I was working with 30 top CMOs, including Antonio Lucio, Linda Boff, Rick Gomez, Deborah Wahl, Keith Weed, Lynne Biggar, and many others to define the role of the CMO and bring forward their success stories on how they gained credibility for the marketing organization, inspired innovation and drove growth for their stakeholders, teams and the industry.  

As I look back on the opening paragraph from the CMO Playbook, I am struck by how far we’ve come since, and yet, how this still remains the ultimate challenge:

"You are a CMO. As such, you wear or share multiple hats: chief brand officer, chief customer officer, chief people officer, chief culture officer, chief growth officer, chief digital officer, chief content officer... the list goes on. In some companies, these roles technically belong to other individuals or are hierarchized, but every CMO needs to be vested in all of them to achieve maximum results and deliver against the expectations of his/her board, CEO, and C-suite."

As we neared publication of the playbook, I had become a deep admirer of all the CMOs I was working with and so personally inspired by their stories that I decided to launch the CMO Moves podcast so that others could hear directly from these role model leaders. I thought, ok, this is it! We have a playbook, we have a clear understanding of what it takes to be a successful CMO and now let’s roll with more stories so we can all collectively continue to learn and grow!

Fast forward 18 months, a Playbook, 70+ episodes of CMO Moves, extensive coverage from multiple parties, deep dives into Purpose, Culture, Storytelling, Financial Acumen, Mentoring, A Survival Guide for Women Marketers from Women Marketers… and where are we?

The industry continues to debate the role of the CMO.  Spencer Stuart put out a report yesterday that CMO Tenure dropped from 44 months to 43 months and is less than half the tenure of CEOs.  Two days I ago I released a podcast featuring Janey Whiteside, Chief Customer Officer of Walmart, wherein the CMO reports to her, and for the past few years we’ve seen a stirring of Chief Growth Officers replacing CMOs. 

If you’re confused about the role of the CMO, you’re not alone. It is confusing!  Per the Playbook:  "Let’s face it, marketing is one of the most misunderstood functions in the C-suite. It’s in a constant state of flux because of how rapidly it changes. With customers moving fast and technology moving faster (there are now more than 5,000 marketing technology solutions), it is critical for CMOs to adopt an agile mindset and inspire their teams to be innovative, risk-takers, authentic, inclusive, and athletic because, often, needed functions have yet to be designed."

That’s still true except today, “We're now up to 7,040 solutions on the 2019 Marketing Technology Landscape” per Scott Brinker, who also shares a mind-boggling Supergraphic.  Just like there is no humanly possible way to consume all the content being generated today, there is no humanly possible way for a CMO to know what each of those 7040 solutions are or what the next 1000 will be.

What is important (and never changing) is the role of the CMO as a leadership position.  All the great CMOs I’ve met are great leaders and incredible human beings who care deeply for their organizations and are always trying to support their teams as best they can.  They whole-heartedly take accountability for people, be that employees, consumers, customers, partners, or stakeholders.

Yes, the marketing functions need to be done.  Technology, data, science, and analytics fuel them.  But the goal of marketing is also to connect with people.  Just as Janey Whiteside said in her podcast, “Barbara [Messing] has got the CMO job down. What does the Walmart brand stand for? How do we tell that story? How do we inject humanity into the functional business? We are a people-lead tech-enabled business, so digging underneath that and being able to tell our story in a really human way is a lot of what Barbara's focused on. As you can imagine, given the breadth of Walmart and what we would call the tonnage of marketing that she has to produce day in and day out is nothing short of overwhelming on many days.”

So, with that, knowing full well that every CMO’s role will be nuanced by industry, size of business and a number of other variables, let’s focus on how CMOs can be the best people leaders and connectors on the planet, which will drive growth for all.  If you have any doubt about the hard dollar impact from great leadership, just have a look at the Gallup estimates that non-engaged employees are costing the U.S. $450-$550B every year and we all know the negative impact on sales when consumers decide they don’t like you anymore.  The inverse equation = growth.  Decrease costs, increase sales.

So, what does it take to be a great CMO, a great people leader and to drive growth today?  After 70+ CMO conversations over the past 18 months, which you can hear on the CMO Moves podcast, there is clear consensus that critically important in the role is to empower people and create meaningful, human connections.  I offer three important people-centric actions for your consideration that will make a positive difference today and in our future.

1. Champion Diversity and Inclusion: Are you championing diverse talent – diversity of all types: age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnical backgrounds, experience, beliefs, etc.?  Are you ensuring that everyone has a respected and welcomed voice at the table so you can hear their unique perspectives and ensure they feel secure in bringing their best selves forward?  Are you bridging gaps across your organization and with partners to ensure collaboration, innovation and productivity?  
2. Invest in Talent Development:  Are you investing in your teams?  Are you giving them the tools and opportunities to be successful?  Are you mindful of the implications of AI / ML and building a future vision for your team, equipping them to evolve their roles and continue to be meaningful contributors? Are you looking inside and out to help mentor young leaders or future leaders?  Are you equally allowing yourself to be reverse-mentored to keep in tune with what’s important at all levels of your organization and the (declining) marketing talent pool?
3. Embrace the Creator Revolution:  Are you truly listening to your consumers and customers?  Are you paying attention to what’s happening in Gen Zand “Gen Alpha,” A.K.A. the children of Millennials arriving in droves?  Are you noticing that consumers are the new creators and many of the new marketing tools in the landscape are being created by them or for them to create even more content?  How are you thinking about your teams’ skills going from creators to enablers of these new creators?  How are you working with your agency partners to ensure their best thinking can still be part of the equation as they will need to bring forth that new market perspective unlike ever before?

More to come on all of these.  In the meantime, please read the following quote carefully, not for me, but for humanity. It is my favorite quote of all time where each and every word carries exceptional weight.  To me, embedded in here, is the role of the CMO today and, most importantly, moving forward.

“In the end, it all comes down to people and values.  We need to shape a future that works for all of us by putting people first and empowering them. In its most pessimistic, dehumanized form, the Fourth Industrial Revolution may indeed have the potential to “robotize” humanity and thus to deprive us of our heart and soul. But as a complement to the best parts of human nature — creativity, empathy, stewardship — it can also lift humanity into a new collective and moral consciousness based on a shared sense of destiny. It is incumbent on us all to make sure the latter prevails.” - Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, The World Economic Forum