Career Trends: Short CMO Tenure

For some reason, getting to the top C-level job of Chief Marketing Officer comes with a bitter price that few accept and many disdain; Low job security. The reason can be attributed to what is called the “Marketer’s Dilemma”, which is something I faced in my short stint as CMO of Élan Guides – I was aggressively focused on long term growth & innovation thereby looking past the results & scenario of the present. The flip side occurs when the CMO focuses on getting immediate results in the present, by using the same over used tactic & expect phenomenal results. And of course, in Pakistan, escaping comfort zones is inadvisable – innovations & new ideas are frowned upon but fail to deliver and you lose your credibility.

Veterans in the field will tell you to focus on progress today while building the capability to prosper for the long run. The value proposition may be in decline, the infrastructure might be imperfect or the brand may have no consumer interest or desire. But to make consumers notice, it’s important to do something different and innovative. And that means being willing to take more risk than simply increasing spending on Social Media.

Not many people in Pakistan seem to take us seriously, they think anyone can sell. But its more than that, it’s a whole lot different than any other function at a company because we need to innovate. Our plans and tactics are on display every day, it’s something you’re going to have to live with once you’ve been allocated a sizeable budget, but try not to fall into the trap of thinking you’re so good at it, you don’t need help.

Get feedback, but nothing baseless & don’t try to adapt someone else’s model into your own. Just like a country, every company has different hurdles & a unique solution is the cure – not the same tired method. People often wonder: How hard can it be to make a good ad campaign that efficiently drives traffic & cuts out all the waste? The most important elements in success and failure are the company’s infrastructure, ability to take/accept risk (plus the consequences) and the brand’s image including past performance.

I’d like to end this piece by reminding the readers that change is inevitable & unless you own a major stake in the company, at some point just like your peers, you are bound to be replaced. Don’t fight it, embrace it and explore other opportunities. Kahlil Jibran once said, “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are sealed with scars”.

As for those letting CMO’s go, be advised that making a habit of rotating CMO leadership doesn’t do well for your company’s image & its rarely the path to long term corporate trust and success.

Babar Javed is Owner & Managing Director of Mission Centenarian, a health & fitness company founded in 2007, which comprises of a network of personal trainers in Karachi. He was most recently the chief marketing officer at Élan Guides & has worked with GlaxoSmithKline & UBL Fund Managers as well. Currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in Marketing from SZABIST, his key interests lie in brand activation & advertising.

Tags: brand, career, career trends, chief marketing officer, CMO, company, credibility, Élan Guides, feedback, innovate, Marketing, pakistan, risk, sell, solution, trends

Category: Companies, Industry News