Getting in with the “In” crowd: how to put marketing back on the CEO's agenda

Abstract

Purpose

Despite efforts by researchers and managers to better link marketing activities with business financial outcomes, there is general agreement that by and large chief marketing officers (CMOs) (and marketing in general) have lost strategic decision-making influence within organizations. The purpose of this paper is to understand the causes of this decline and offer recommended solutions to counteract this trend.

Design/methodology/approach

In-depth interviews lasting between 40 and 55 minutes were conducted with 25 chief executive officers (CEOs) of service companies located in Western Europe, North America, and Australia. In total, 13 difference countries were represented. Using Emerging Consensus Technique, we identified four main themes, which cause the goals of CEOs and those of CMOs/marketing to diverge.

Findings

The primary cause of the decline of strategic influence of CMOs and marketing overall with CEOs is a function of four key issues: first, the role of the CMO (e.g. task overload, focus on tactical issues, “outdated” skill set); second, lack of financial accountability (e.g. the inability to connect marketing efforts to financial returns); third, digital and social media (e.g. a perceived obsession with new technology); and forth, lack of strategic vision and impact (e.g. lost sight of “core” job, use of irrelevant metrics).

Practical implications

The findings indicate that CMOs must address the four key issues uncovered for marketing to attain/regain a role in strategic decision making. A proposed roadmap for putting marketing back on the CEOs agenda is presented to guide CMOs.

Originality/value

This research provides marketers with a CEO eye view of their role within organizations.

Citation

Klaus, P., Edvardsson, B., L. Keiningham, T. and Gruber, T. (2014), "Getting in with the “In” crowd: how to put marketing back on the CEO's agenda", Journal of Service Management, Vol. 25 No. 2, pp. 195-212. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-02-2014-0041