CMO(S)— YOUR JOB HAS EVOLVED BEYOND YOUR TITLE. YOU ARE
EXPECTED TO DO MORE, KNOW MORE, AND BE IN THE KNOW MORe.
You are now the 'Chief Growth Office', the 'Chief Value Officer', the 'Chief Commercial Strategist', 'Chief Customer Officer', 'Chief Innovation Officer' — just to name a few.
The debate about your title is not entirely new. In 2006, Forbes published an article titled "Who Needs a CMO Anyway?" by two partners of marketing-strategy firm Reason Inc.
"CMO became popular during the dot-com boom. "And like so many things during that period, it was driven by a preoccupation with appearances more than by practical need," they wrote. If a company does have a CMO in its ranks, "the position must be invested with responsibilities, authority and accountability that befits a C-level title," including holding the person accountable for meeting corporate margin goals."