As I continue to read pieces like this about our profession, I find it interesting how quickly writers at BrandWeek and other publications are point to the marginalization of Marketing. Yes, as you also note, we’ve made our mistakes (i.e., we have failed to invest the time and energy required for the “marketing of marketing” within our own organizations, in some instances we’ve ceded our leadership of strategy to other functions within the firm, etc.) However, Marketing and CMOs have never been in more demand in the C-suite… and the data proves it.

Specifically, Penn State researchers Raj Grewal and Rui Wang recently analyzed the prevalence of the CMO position. Although their analysis reveals that the CMO position still does not exist in most publicly-traded companies, an increasing number of firms they studied appear to have been creating CMO positions. Assuming CEOs are rational actors, this data seems to quantitatively contradict suggestions that marketing’s seat in the C-suite is in question (the full analysis can be read in the current volume of The CMO Journal available at http://www.ChiefMarketingOfficer.com).

I believe the transition from “Miracle to Minutia” is simply a shake out of agency-reared marketing execs that are highly skilled in right-brain cognition, but lack the left-brain rigor required by the role in the new millennium (which can certainly be minutia). So, to bottom line it: Your right, but we need to frame the transition in the proper context. And, while BrandWeek can (mis)interpret your words into a negative story that sells more rags at the newsstand, the boring (data-derived) truth is that the CMO role has momentum.

Thanks for providing this forum…

W.L. Koleszar
Editor, The CMO Journal