CMO’s are increasingly out of tune with fellow executives & marketing teams

A particular area of concern is brand purpose with CMO's typically out of step in their belief in the need to strive for a broader ‘mission’, with 43% prioritising brand purpose compared with just 25% of senior managers and just 19% of non-CMO marketers.

Other key points of divergence include a propensity among 63% of CMO’s to prioritise short-term marketing versus just 54% of fellow C-suite managers. A similar schism has opened up within marketing teams with 68% of non-CMO marketers championing marketing campaigns of up to two years just as 23% prefer a mid-term focus of between five and six years.

47% of CMOs also believe marketing has a significant influence on strategic priorities while just 26% of non-CMO marketers concur.

Nicolas Sennegon, executive vice president, global chief commercial officer, said: “If there’s one thing that’s clear from this research, it’s that despite their best efforts, marketers may be missing the mark when it comes to communicating with their colleagues - both inside and outside the marketing department. Almost 20% of the C-suite do not believe marketing is key to their organisation meeting its strategic objectives. Hopefully, this report, together with the tips outlined throughout, will trigger some thoughts that will help teams tackle the challenges.”

The findings were drawn from 1,080 responses to a 15-minute online survey conducted between July and August this year and follow research indicating that 43% of marketers prioritise 'transactional' relationships over deeper engagement.