Chief marketing officer

A chief marketing officer (CMO), also called a global marketing officer or marketing director, or chief brand officer,[1][2] is a corporate executive responsible for managing marketing activities in an organization. Whilst historically these titles may have signified a legal responsibility, for example at Companies House in the UK, the titles are less strict/formal in the 21st Century and allow companies to acknowledge the evolving and increasingly significant role that marketers can play in an organisation, not least because of the inherent character of successful marketers. The CMO leads brand management, marketing communications (including advertising, promotions and public relations), market research, product marketing, distribution channel management, pricing, customer success, and customer service.[3]

The CMO is a member of the C-suite and typically reports to the chief executive officer. A number of senior vice presidents, vice presidents, directors, and other senior marketing managers responsible for various parts of the marketing strategy may report directly to the CMO.[4]

A study from consulting firm Spencer Stuart in 2021 showed that women made up 47% of CMO positions in 2020, an increase from the 43% reported in 2019. 13% of CMOs had racially or ethnically diverse background in 2020, down from 14% in 2019.[5][6]

  1. ^ McDonald, Malcolm. "The Post-Covid CMO in the Digital Age: The need for marketing planning is greater now than it has ever been". Marketors.org. Worshipful Company of Marketors. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  2. ^ Welch, Andrew (March 2008). "Who is the brand daddy?" (PDF). Landor.com. Landor Associates. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 October 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  3. ^ Germann, Frank; Ebbes, Peter; Grewal, Rajdeep (2015). "The Chief Marketing Officer Matters!". Journal of Marketing. 79 (3). SAGE Journals: 1–22. doi:10.1509/jm.14.0244. S2CID 168076084. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  4. ^ "Free Marketing Executive Search Guide 2020 | Hire Marketing Executives". Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  5. ^ Ives, Nat (2021-04-29). "CMOs' Time in Their Posts Continues to Grow Shorter". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  6. ^ Jefferson, Michaela (2021-04-29). "CMO tenure falls to lowest level in over a decade". Marketing Week. Retrieved 2021-04-30.