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CMO Survival

By ISITE Design
May 19, 2008

The Chief Marketing Officer may very well have the toughest job in the boardroom. Marketing as a discipline is undergoing some serious change, technology is evolving by the minute and the metrics that define success are murky at best. It’s no wonder the average CMO has a job expectancy of just under two years.

With the role of the web becoming front and center in a day-in-the-life of a CMO, we came up with some critical survival tips from an interactive agency’s perspective. These observations have been developed from our in–the–trenches experiences supporting CMOs and marketing leaders in their online pursuits.

• Own the Web Strategy
  Want to see executives squirm? Simply ask what their web strategy is over the next 12 months. Too few organizations have articulated a web strategy that rolls up all of those day–to–day tactics into a bigger picture. The verdict is in: Strategic ownership of the web belongs in marketing. The successful CMO will embrace the challenge and engage the entire organization in the process.

• Hire Some Geeks
  Let’s face it — getting things done on the web takes some technical know-how. Marketing departments need to staff up with some development help in order to have more control and enable faster iterations for campaigns and online optimization. But let’s be clear — this is not a replacement for working with Information Technology. A successful partnership with IT is paramount to marketing success.

• Work Beyond the Silos
  Marketing is no longer just about creating and executing campaigns independent of the rest of the organization. The successful marketing leader will be working in close collaboration with product development, customer service, sales and information technology to help drive the company forward.

• Iterate Rapidly
  The web is more flexible, cost-effective and measurable for testing niche marketing, new messaging and other ideas that would cost an arm and a leg in other mediums.

• Create Great Experiences
  The CMO of the future realizes that the user experience is the brand. As David Armano says in Brand Interactions are the Future, “Moving a brand forward will be measured by the interactions a person has with it and technology plus design will play a critical role.”

• Give up Control
  CMOs everywhere are learning this lesson the hard way. Marketing has moved from controlling the message to enabling the conversation. Companies that are open, honest and active in communicating will succeed in the long run.

• Learn to Listen
  User research is an age-old tactic, but social media is enabling marketers to listen to customer conversations in real-time. The successful CMO will be able to harness the power of these new tools, synthesize the feedback and appropriately act on improving customer experiences.

• Report Less and Act More
  The world doesn’t need another Excel spreadsheet or PowerPoint report. Take a portion of that time spent generating metrics and take action on the data. Developing a culture of continuous improvement and optimization will drive lasting return on investment across all marketing activities.

Have some additional survival tips for the CMO? We’d love to hear them.