How Chief Marketing Officers Get Fit for the Future

IBM just published a very interesting new C-Suite Study. This time they interviewed more than 1,700 Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs). IBM believes it is the largest survey of its type ever conducted.

CMOs told IBM that market and technology factors are the two most powerful external forces affecting their organisation today. They expect them to drive increasing levels of complexity over the next five years in how we market not just our products and services, but all dimensions of our organisations.

The four biggest challenges CMOs identified were the explosion of data, social media, the proliferation of channels and devices and shifting consumer demographics.

The practice of marketing is going through a period of unparalleled change, putting CMOs everywhere to the test. So how should you respond?

You can carry on as before-and continue to feel stretched. Or you can seize the opportunity to transform your marketing function by responding to these new realities:
• The empowered customer is now in control of the business relationship
• Delivering customer value is paramount - and an organisation’s behaviour is as much a part of the value equation as the products and services it provides
• The pressure to be accountable to the business is not just a symptom of hard times; it is a permanent shift that requires new approaches, tools and skills.

Time to Get Fit for the Future! Where to start? Start reading the IBM C-Suite Study. And let me know what you think about this study.