It is time to redefine the B2B CMO’s job description according to Forrester Research analyst Laura Ramos in a new report titled “B2B CMOs Must Evolve or Move On”.

Laura says “CMOs stands at the crossroads of a redefined marketing remit”.

Digital channels, online social activity, and rapidly evolving personal technology mean business marketers must take on unfamiliar responsibilities to succeed.

New skills and cross-department teamwork are required to meet rising business expectations.

For this report, Forrester and the Business Marketing Association (BMA) jointly surveyed marketing executives about how they take on new world marketing demands.

Forrester concluded that the key to this transition will be the CMO’s ability to span organizational silos and focus corporate strategy, energy, and budget on enhancing knowledge of and engagement with customers.

“From skill development to board-level decision-making, CMOs have moved from a walk-on role to headlining the play.

“Yet, when we asked how they compensate for the growing demands to collaborate, staff up, and set direction, most admitted to simply rolling up their sleeves and working longer, harder hours at the expense of personal time.

“CMOs need to rethink the marketing strategy over tactics, prioritize collaborative opportunities, strengthen the marketing team, and collaborate with peers about how to put real customer needs front and centre.”

Here’s how Laura and her team see the new CMO job description.

Laura states that CMOs who rise to the challenges of this new mandate will work smarter when they:

• Keep their eye on company strategy, not campaign tactics
• Collaborate with peers to get more obsessed about customers
• Get fanatical about delegation
• Transform internal perceptions about the role of marketing

Personally, I relate to the need to delegate. Doing more with less just doesn’t cut it as a sustainable long-term approach.

If the issue is not strategic, doesn’t relate to customer value or brand health then the CMO should assign it to someone else in the team or the external partner network.