The more that is written about the world of the CMO the less attractive it seems to be. Sure it would be nice to have the big salary and the perks of being the top marketing dog but if recent research is any indication it appears as if being a CMO also means you are a bit out of the loop.

I have likened the plight of today’s CMO to that of climbing a burning rope. Most CMO’s are likely to have about 20 years or so experience before they reach the top of the food chain at a major company. That time may shorten at a smaller firm and there are those that are very young for the role as well. What has happened though is that as they climb the rope to the top of the marketing food chain many of the techniques and skills needed to get there have gone away away thus leaving them at the top with no way to get down except to fall

According to a study by IBM entitled “from Stretched to Strengthened: Insights from the Global Chief Marketing Officer there is quite dilemma facing this group as it relates to social media. emarketer presents the findings that show social media as a prime desire.