CMO Lab project reveals how marketing leaders are adapting to the pace of change

It’s been a long journey, but CMOs have finally earned their seat at the table and an expanded mandate that includes data and insights, customer experience, culture, corporate reputation and new technologies. As a result, the Chief Marketing Officer has become one of the most influential roles in an organization. However, new digital platforms have shifted customer behaviour and spending and B2B marketers are now facing a reality where conventional approaches are no longer delivering the audience, engagement or impact that their brands need. So, how are CMOs keeping up with the pace of change? To answer this question, we surveyed more than 100 CMOs and senior marketers as part of our CMO Lab project, a joint initiative with APEX PR, ruckus Digital and Maru/Blue. The survey revealed that marketers were resisting change and that only one third had evolved their strategies in the last few years. This finding upended our hypothesis that marketers particularly B2B marketers would already be placing greater emphasis on integrated strategies across all channels and audiences.