Analyzing the CEO–CMO relationship and its effect on growth
Mar 7, 2024
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CEOs and CMOs must align for marketing success, but a strategic disconnect persists. Author Karin M. Reed shares tips for effective virtual meetings. Podcast explores CMOs as growth unifiers, challenges in CEO-CMO relationship, and strategies for remote meetings.
CEOs must collaborate closely with CMOs for successful marketing plans.
Marketing roles are evolving with titles like Chief Growth Officer and Chief Digital Officer emerging.
Deep dives
The Value of CEOs and CMOs Collaboration
CEOs and CMOs who collaborate effectively can drive significant growth for their companies. Companies with strong CEO and CMO partnerships are two and a half times more likely to achieve over 5% growth. Challenges faced by CEOs and CMOs include defining the marketing role within the strategy, understanding modern marketing capabilities, and measuring the impact of marketing activities on business outcomes.
Evolution of C-Level Marketing Roles
The definition of the C-level marketing role is evolving with new titles like Chief Growth Officer, Chief Digital Officer, and Chief Customer Officer emerging. Traditional marketing elements like the four Ps (product, price, place, promotion) are now distributed across various roles in organizations. Less than 40% of Fortune 500 companies have a CMO or a customer officer at the C-suite level, indicating a shift in marketing roles.
Adapting Marketing Strategies
Marketing has undergone significant changes over the past decade, moving from traditional approaches to a dynamic digital landscape. The focus now includes personalization, data analytics, and engaging customers through diverse channels. Successful companies invest in marketing during challenging times, demonstrating a direct link between marketing investments and long-term growth. Marketers are urged to continuously test and adapt strategies to align with evolving customer preferences and technology advancements.
CEOs acknowledge the expertise and importance of chief marketing officers and their role in helping the company grow, yet there’s still a strategic disconnect in the C-suite. CEOs and chief marketing officers (CMOs) must work together closely for any marketing plan to flourish. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey partner Robert Tas joins editorial director Roberta Fusaro to discuss how to nurture the CEO–CMO relationship.
Our second segment features an excerpt from our Author Talks series, with author Karin M. Reed. She wrote Suddenly Virtual: Making Remote Meetings Work (Wiley, March 2021) and shares tips on how to create the perfect virtual meeting.