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A field guide to CMOs

December 21, 2005 |

We're not talking eye stripes and wing bars, but differentiators such as the Traditionalist, the Technologist and the Jane of All Trades. Which type of marketing officer are you (or someone you know)?

Genus: Chief Marketing Officer (Chief Marketus Officium). Habitat: Medium/large companies, with strong migratory patterns that result in frequent relocation. Identifying marks: Chameleon-like characteristics ranging from experience in advertising, branding, market research, event management, sponsorships, public relations, Web analytics, product development, technology, new media, sales support, call centers and customer satisfaction. Ability to prove ROI.

Did we miss anything? Probably. Today’s chief marketer is an evolving species whose role is no longer just advertising campaigns, cool creative and media buys: It is expanding to include responsibility across the organization for driving innovation, competitive advantage and, ultimately, business success.

At the same time, different companies require very different qualities in a marketing chief. So while the CMO title continues to grow in popularity, the role itself is still being defined in the nation’s boardrooms. In fact, a study conducted last year by the Association of National Advertisers and Booz Allen Hamilton found that more than 70 percent of respondents said the marketing function in their organization was being revamped or had been restructured in the past three years.

It’s not easy to sink your teeth into a role that is still being written. “Of all the C-level positions, it’s exponentially harder to place a marketer, even within the same industry,” says Greg Welch, who heads the CMO practice for executive search firm Spencer Stuart. “He or she is going to a new company that almost certainly has a totally different point of view of what marketing does, what it affects, how it operates and what the metrics are.”

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