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# Insight: Should Chief Marketing Officer title be retired?
- URL: https://capitolcommunicator.com/insight-should-the-cmo-title-be-retired/
- Published: 2025-05-26T11:20:26.000Z
- Updated: 2025-05-27T15:20:12.000Z
- Author: Capitol Communicator
- Tags: Marketing, Insights, #wp-top-center-sponsored, #Import 2026-10-08 18:55

**The chief marketer’s role has evolved, and the scope of the marketing function can be unclear, states a post in the Harvard Business Journal.**

According to HBJ, there are several reasons to argue for a change of the CMO title, based on [its multimethod research](https://www.conference-board.org/publications/todays-CMOs-chasing-business-growth-while-juggling-executional-demands?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) at the Conference Board, “which included interviews with CMOs and CEOs from various industries and executive recruiters, a survey of and roundtable with CMOs, and a review of third-party publications.

“The CMO role has evolved a lot over time. Today, CEOs’ top priorities for their CMOs are increasingly focused on driving the top line. Activities like demand generation, customer acquisition, and growth rank ahead of customer experience, talent development, and brand building, according to our research. Digital tech—including AI, platforms, and data—is supporting these marketing priorities but requires deeper expertise in a range of specialized areas including strategy, tech, finance, and analytics.

“A new title—or multiple specialized ones—can signal updated strategic priorities and approaches, also addressing marketing’s [marketing problem](https://www.conference-board.org/publications/marketings-marketing-issue-explain-in-your-colleagues-terms?ref=capitolcommunicator.com): It’s often not well understood internally and can appear like a black box. This can hinder marketing leaders’ collaboration with C-suite colleagues, other departments, and even external partners; their strategic influence; and ultimately their business impact. This might also explain CMOs’ shorter tenure of [4.2 years in 2023](https://www.spencerstuart.com/research-and-insight/cmo-tenure-study-2024-an-expanded-view-of-cmo-tenure-and-background?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) among Fortune 500 companies, as compared to 4.6 years for their C-suite colleagues.

“Also, for some, the marketing label carries traditional associations: “Marketing as a name is somewhat dated,” one [marketing leader remarked](https://www.conference-board.org/publications/do-CMOs-need-a-new-title?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) in our research.”

More [here](https://hbr.org/2025/05/does-the-chief-marketing-officer-role-need-an-update?ref=capitolcommunicator.com).