Heidrick & Struggles: The Evolved CMO in 2016

Few functional roles are more vital—or more fast-changing—than that of the chief marketing officer (CMO). A survey of 275 CMOs conducted in partnership with Forrester explores the changing nature of the role and the skills that will be required to master it. The survey, the fourth in a series that began in 2008, found that:

CMOs Establish Themselves As Full Business Partners After years of aspiring to be treated as more than functional experts, CMOs are finally proving their business chops. Tasked with delivering against P&L metrics, they’re increasingly partnering with peers to drive business and brand results.

Two-Thirds Of CMOs Assume Responsibility For Customer Experience (CX) Marketers recognize that delivering on the brand promise means ensuring that all customer experiences are aligned to a common brand vision. As they embrace CX, their objectives encompass customer retention as well acquisition, and they must master an augmented set of functional skills.

Leading Organizational Transformation Emerges As The Common Challenge Winning in the age of the customer requires a fundamental reset of a company’s operating model. Evolved CMOs are championing this transformation and taking on the challenges of culture and talent management, process redesign, and data and business technology (BT) realignment.

To read the full report, click here.