Question: I am a PR professional and I am ready for an ascension to Chief Marketing Officer. Can I expect to enjoy a long and successful tenure in that role?
Answer: The executive search firm Spencer Stuart recently released the survey "CMO Tenure," which found the average tenure for CMOs in corporate America at 22.9 months. In
comparison, CEOs stay for an average of 54 months.
For industry breakdowns, the survey found that financial services CMOs have the longest tenure (an average of 34.8 months), followed by the technology and media industries
(29.9 and 29.3 months, respectively). At the lower end of the spectrum were CMOs in telecommunications (15 months), the food trade (12 months) and apparel companies (10
months).
What is the reason for this revolving door? "CMO Tenure" spells out the situation in these terms: "The most common cause for such short marketing tenures is grounded
principally in expectations - both from the perspective of the CEO as well as the peer group to the CMO. If these executives do not share similar expectations of the marketing
organization with the CMO, chances for CMO failure are increased."
Portfolio Plus
Question: As a follow-up to the previous question, I am one of those CMOs in search of another job. What should I consider when shopping myself around to other
companies? Answer: It may not be a bad idea to sharpen up your portfolio.
A recent survey commissioned by The Creative Group asked 250 mar-com executives: "Which of the following bothers you most when reviewing a creative portfolio?" Most complained
about portfolio samples that didn't show value provided to the company (38%), followed by complaints of unorganized samples (31%), too many samples (13%), too few samples (7%) and
samples that weren't clearly labeled (3%); the remaining 8% either didn't know or had other responses.
When asked "Which of the following is your preferred format for viewing creative portfolios," the responses were a bound book (37%), a container with separate pieces (29%), and
an online portfolio (22%); the remaining 12% either didn't know or had other responses.
Who's Blogging What?
Question: I've heard an excess amount of talk about the blogosphere, but I am having problems determining just who is blogging. Can you offer any guidance? Answer:
The Pew Internet & American Life Project can help. Their recent census of the blogosphere (conducted, ironically, in a telephone poll of 233 American bloggers) discovered it
is a predominantly young environment (54% of bloggers are under 30), with a considerable amount of racial diversity (40% are non-white) and equal gender representation.
On the whole, the bloggers are seeking self-expression (77%) rather than attention or payment. The majority of blogs are autobiographical (37%), with politics and government
as the second most popular topic (11%) and entertainment third (7%).