Are CMOs the black sheep of the C-suite?

Maarten Albarda reported in MediaPost that only the CMO was held accountable for missed revenue targets despite five C-suite members sharing revenue responsibilities. With an average tenure of four years, half that of CEOs, the CMO job is considered the riskiest in the C-suite.

To begin with, let’s just look at the range of duties a CMO undertakes. CMOs are usually responsible for creating the marketing strategy, though this is heavily influenced by the CEO. The CMO is the one who leads marketing operations and, by extension, is responsible for upper-funnel activities such as building brand awareness and creating consideration, as well as mid-funnel activities like lead generation. To a lesser extent, and depending on the size of the organisation and its structure, CMOs are responsible for customer retention and loyalty, as well as P&L.

Even though CMOs may not be leading the charge in sales, they are often the first to receive criticism if the business fails to hit its growth targets. This is where the issue really lies. Everybody has an opinion on marketing, the CEO, the HR manager, the ‘know-it-all’ colleague, even the IT guy, and yet the CMO and their team get the blame and rarely the credit.

Unfair. No?

Valuable comments and input from others may be useful, however too many opinions can sometimes undermine faith in the project. It’s very common for people to complain about a new version of a logo or website when it’s presented to them, and some will even criticise which words are used in social media or blog articles. As a copywriter friend of mine once said, “Everyone thinks they can write.” Though marketing is expected to constantly generate fresh ideas and introduce new campaigns, the organization is often not aligning behind the change the CMO is expected to lead.

In short, the CEO must ensure that the CMO has the resources, trust and support to develop effective strategies. This way, by unifying resources behind their executives, CEOs can help their companies stay competitive and successful in today’s ever-changing business environment.

Instead of blaming their CMOs, CEOs must ensure that their executive team is working together to help drive the success of their business in the short and long-term. CEOs are responsible for setting the general tone, direction, and goals of a company. By having a clear sense of the company’s direction, and what marketing is expected to accomplish, CMOs will make sure that their marketing efforts and communication campaigns are producing tangible results.

Ultimately, the C-Suite must see themselves as partners in marketing’s mission and embrace its potential. Instead of pointing the finger, CEOs must permit CMOs to think boldly about marketing’s potential to drive growth.