As a start-up brand gains traction and evolves, the marketer who got them there may not be the one who gets them to the next level or funding round.
This week I have had several leaders ask me to help develop a “job description” for a CMO position and it reminded me of my conversation with Dave Frankland as he was interviewing me about the role of the evolving CMO.
From my perspective, addressing this challenge depends on several factors… the desired outcomes the new leader is expected to achieve, and the personality that will succeed in the current culture to drive change at the particular juncture you have arrived at in the maturity model.
👉 5 CMO Personas to Consider:
𝟏. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲-𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐌𝐎 – the leader responsible for setting the company’s vision based on consumer feedback, activities of competitors and social trends. They are the planners and focus on product innovation.
𝟐. 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞-𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐌𝐎 – a strong commercial leader who views all activities through the lens of driving sales for an organization. They generally also oversee performance marketing and retention programs.
𝟑. 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝-𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐌𝐎 – the one who is focused on defining a brand promise, creative strategy, and positioning. They generally own the media strategy and execution as well.
𝟒. 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭-𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐌𝐎 – this leader will have a strong marketing technology and data background, as well as loyalty program development and customer relationship management. The focus here is the right message to the right person at the right time through personalization.
𝟓. 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞-𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐌𝐎 – the persona who serves as the customer advocate. With the goal of creating the best customer experience, they are on the front lines of listening to and distilling customer insights and advocating customer wants and needs inside an organization.
What type of CMO do you need for your brand at this stage of growth? Want to talk more about it? DM me.