What Are the Responsibilities of a CMO?

The role and responsibilities of a chief marketing officer, or CMO, can be hard to pin down. These professionals are in charge of running the marketing department and liaising with marketing project managers, yes, but what are the other CMO responsibilities that are important to understanding the role?

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.

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.

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 responsibilities 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.

CMOs play a vital role in a company’s growth and have important responsibilities that range from creative influence to business strategy.