The Next CMO

I’m becoming obsessed with how newly-appointed CMOs are setting out their mandate – whether filling the shoes of a vacant position or stepping into a newly-created position.

What do they do first?  Of course so much depends on what went before.  Do they need to start from scratch?  Or is there an existing framework that doesn’t need fixing?

From my own point of view, the key steps to CMO success depending on being able to:

• Assess marketing capabilities across the organization
• Structure the marketing functions to be more holistic and inclusive of new disciplines (one of the areas I explored in my book)
• Unlock the business potential associated with engagement and participation to drive brand advocacy
• Harness the power of creating internal marketing champions

Of course, this is in an ideal world where money is no object and there’s plenty of time to assess and plan.  But we all know that the CMO is faced with a growing list of rapidly-changing variables, against which they need to deliver short-term success.  And, the CMO is invariably reliant upon resources beyond their direct control, and consequently, more than any other senior executive, they must influence peers in order to achieve their own goals.  Balancing the requisite short-term wins with the longer-term aims becomes more of a challenge than ever before.

Over the next couple of months, I’ll be interviewing CMOs who have come into newly-created roles, as well as new CMOs taking on existing roles.  I’ll be talking with both B2C and B2B brand CMOs as well.  I have a very cool short list of interviewees, but if you have any suggestions for further candidates, please let me know.

And stay tuned for the results.