CEOs Want CMOs to Drive Growth

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CEOs Want CMOs to Drive Growth

17 September 2024 / Quick Take

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CEOs expect very different things from the CMO and CCO. CEOs want their CMO to prioritize growth—demand generation, revenue, and customer experience and retention, along with brand building. In contrast, they want the CCO to focus on building reputation and trust, including with financial audiences but especially with employees, which involves culture and change management.

Trusted Insights for What’s Ahead^®™

While the “what” of the CMO and CCO roles differs (the CMO is focused on growing the business; the CCO on crafting and telling the company’s story to its various stakeholders), in some ways, CMOs and CCOs have to operate similarly. Both have to:

Be a businessperson first and a functional expert second. CEOs want their top marketer and communicator to have a business mindset and take a holistic perspective beyond their function.
Link marketing spending to quantifiable financial results. CMOs and CCOs need to show their team’s impact—ideally in financial terms, which is easier for marketers than communicators given their revenue focus.
Have good relationship skills—key in an increasingly digital world. CMOs’ and CCOs’ effec

Author

Denise Dahlhoff, PhD

Director, Marketing & Communications Research
The Conference Board

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