What Are the Responsibilities of a CMO?

Responsibilities and Skills of a Chief Marketing Officer

A chief marketing officer is in charge of running the marketing department and liaising with marketing project managers.

As it is a large spectrum of influence, CMOs usually need to take on different roles and have a wide set of skills. In this article, we will cover the responsibilities and skills a CMO should have.

Role and responsibilities of a CMO

The role and responsibilities of a chief marketing officer, or CMO, can be hard to pin down. While responsibilities may differ, the CMO role is centered around two main objectives - driving revenue and overseeing marketing activities.

Driving revenue

Put simply, the chief marketing officer of a company has the primary responsibility of driving revenue by increasing sales through marketing activities. The CMO in most companies will report directly to the CEO and is typically part of executive-level management. The chief marketing officer will liaise with other company executives to establish company-wide goals. They will also help marketing directors and managers create a marketing strategy that achieves those profit, product, and growth goals through a range of marketing functions and activities. 

Overseeing marketing activities

The CMO manages and oversees all marketing activities throughout the company. The CMO needs to have a broad understanding of brand development, sales management, product, distribution management, and customer service. The CMO will have input into brand marketing, pricing, advertising, market research, marketing communications, project management, and public relations.  

Skills of a CMO

Chief marketing officers typically wear quite a few different hats. They must have a particular set of skills or traits to lead the company’s brand management and marketing activities in a way that results in growth. These are a few of the most important skills of a CMO:  

• Growth driver: The core of what a CMO does is drive growth. This is the primary responsibility of a CMO. One of the tricky aspects of being a CMO is that some marketing activities can be unpredictable, especially in the digital and social media age, so making strategic decisions that drive growth is a particularly important responsibility.
• Marketing expert: While the CMO doesn’t usually get their hands dirty with the granular tasks of the marketing team, they still need to be an expert in all things marketing. The CMO is ultimately responsible for all of the activities carried out by the marketing department, so they need to have a deep understanding of the marketing functions at their disposal. 
• Customer champion: The CMO is also responsible for serving as the customer champion in chief, ensuring that all marketing activities serve to create brand loyalty and ensure the user experience is enjoyable and successful. 
• Chief storyteller: Finally, in addition to business-focused responsibilities, the CMO is responsible for leading the creative side of the company. The CMO should be able to nurture the creativity of the marketing department, spurring innovative marketing ideas that will help attract and retain more customers and lead back to increased sales growth. 

A CMO plays a vital role in a company’s growth and has important responsibilities that range from creative influence to business strategy.