This blog was adapted from BrandMaker’s: “Marketing Ops Now” podcast. Each installment discusses valuable ideas for both management and marketing executives. You can listen to this 20-minute. podcast here.
The expanding role of the CMO
Before we talk about new responsibilities for the CMO, let’s acknowledge that all of the traditional CMO responsibilities will not go away. With ‘traditional’ responsibilities, we mean tasks such as demand generation, communications, PR, and driving brand awareness. All those responsibilities are still alive and well and will remain so in the years to come.
There will be additional responsibilities and capabilities that marketing leaders have to master. It is important to note that the expanding CMO role is unlike any other C-level leadership role. Let’s take a look at those new tasks and and discuss ho a CMO can accomplish all in the same amount of available time?
The customer experience is our brand
There is a difference between what CMOs regard as important responsibilities and the view of the rest of the management team. The board looks to the CMO for growth and steadily-increasing revenue. However, CMOs know that building the brand is a priority.
Comparing priority lists certainly shows an important difference between CMO and CEO goals. However, if we take a step back, there might be less of a stark contrast between the two lists. The driver behind growth and revenue is ultimately the customer experience. The capabilities that are needed to drive the customer experience are the same capabilities CMOs need to create a great brand.
No matter if a customer reaching out to a call center, or walking into a retail store, the CMO is responsible for creating and delivering the experience. However, the channels that CMOs have to drive the customer experience have changed fundamentally. Delivering that great customer experience across the entire customer journey now includes both digital and non-digital channels. That requires an entirely new skill: CMOs have to become increasingly tech and data-savvy. This is how old responsibilities continue to exist but require new responsibilities and capabilities.