I’ve drawn numerous cartoons through the years on the evolving Chief Advertising Officer position, which is partly a proxy for the ever-changing job of promoting normally.
Lengthy gone are the times when CMOs have been simply in control of “advertising comms” and advertising was dismissively described as “the coloring-in division.” In the present day’s Chief Advertising Officer position is sort of impossibly deep and broad.
I spoke lately with a buddy attempting to recruit a CMO, and was struggling to seek out candidates with the precise depth of expertise in each model advertising AND efficiency advertising. Not to mention all the opposite hats a contemporary CMO is predicted to put on.
Not solely do many CMOs take the lead on each area of interest advertising channel or expertise that emerges, their work requires broad alignment with each cross-functional division within the firm. CMOs are held accountable for each facet of buyer expertise, even when they don’t have precise authority for these areas.
“Work is extra enjoyable with framed marketoons in your wall”
And, as we hit the one yr anniversary of ChatGPT, CMOs are sometimes the tip of the spear in organizations determining learn how to strategy Generative AI.
As Gartner VP Chris Ross put it lately:
“Being a CMO isn’t for the squeamish, however there could also be no different position positioned to make almost so nice an affect.”
With such an increasing remit, the Chief Advertising Officer dangers devolving into the Chief One thing Officer — jack of all trades, grasp of none. This identification disaster has led to lots of the semantic gymnastics some firms have pursued to rename the CMO place completely — in favor of Chief Expertise Officer, Chief Digital Officer, Chief Income Workplace, Chief Development Officer, and many others.
It doesn’t matter what you name it, I feel that leaders entering into the CMO position need to outline what they do (and don’t do) with readability and focus in the event that they need to achieve success.
Listed here are just a few associated cartoons I’ve drawn through the years:
