To become a chief marketing officer (CMO), you’ll need a certain amount of talent as well as seven to ten years of marketing experience. Most employers will also require at least a bachelor’s degree in business. In some cases, demonstrated marketing ability can trump formal education.
Many marketing activities, such as advertising and promotions, are staffed with professionals who have artistic talent or a penchant for coming up with unique ideas to attract customers’ attention. Marketing is primarily regarded as a creative department, despite the fact that there is plenty of work under the heading that only requires basic business skills. Certain industries, such as the entertainment industry versus the pharmaceuticals industry, require more creativity in marketing departments than others. If you want to be a chief marketing officer, your natural ability to engage customers can help you get there.
A traditional route to the position of CMO is to major in marketing in college. After graduation, you can work as a marketing assistant and work your way up through the marketing department’s ranks. You’d be qualified to apply as a CMO after seven to ten years of increasing responsibility. If you have a marketing MBA, you may have a better chance of getting hired.
Special marketing talents can trump years of experience in more creative and fluid industries. If a product’s success is dependent on its popularity, buzz, or extensive promotional efforts, the ability to successfully attract the public’s attention is more valuable than any educational credential or amount of experience. Working for an Internet start-up that requires particularly creative marketing and social networking to position itself in a fluid environment could be a non-traditional path to becoming a chief marketing officer. As the company grows, you’ll rise to the position of CEO, and it’ll be based more on talent than credentials.
A CMO candidate for a large, well-established corporation will need to have traditional qualifications as well as be a thought leader in the field. Leadership roles in marketing trade associations, as well as any other activities that establish expertise in the field, will help you become a chief marketing officer. Teaching marketing classes at a community college or a local business association, providing an expert opinion for media opportunities, and writing marketing papers for journals and publications are just some of the possibilities. These extracurricular activities will also serve to demonstrate soft skills such as people management, poise, and professionalism, which are required for the position.