Declining Tenure of CMOs

The average tenure of Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) at top US advertisers has decreased to three years from four years a decade ago, largely due to increased public scrutiny and performance pressures. This trend indicates that CMOs are expected to navigate a wide array of responsibilities, including revenue growth and operational efficiency, which creates challenges in finding executives who excel in so many areas. The variance in tenure by industry reveals that B2C and B2B sectors have slightly longer averages compared to their higher-pressure counterparts. Ultimately, the evolving nature of the CMO role and heightened expectations contribute significantly to this trend of shorter tenures.