90% of the CEOs running the world’s largest companies have no marketing background. Even more when it comes to CFOs. But many think they understand marketing just because they’ve been marketed to…which is like thinking you can dance just because you’ve been to a Beyoncé concert. Here’s the problem (or one amongst many.) Despite their absence of knowledge and understanding, these are the people controlling the allocation of resources CMOs need to do their job: people, time, capital. And because they don’t know what to expect, what not to, or on what timeline, they’re suboptimal stewards of these resources. Which makes the CMO’s job harder (and it’s already the hardest job in the C-suite), and also means growth is diminished company by company. And when you add that up at scale, global GDP—2/3rds of which is consumer spending—takes a hit. When CEOs and CFOs don’t understand marketing, they’re not just making the CMO’s job harder, they are slowing punching growth in the face and slowing the necessary and continued evolution of capitalism itself. All of which is good for no one and no-thing.
I love seeing former CMOs like Brian Niccol make the move into CEO roles. I think we’ll see this path become far more common as boards realize how closely marketing leadership and growth leadership align.
Most leaders only gain meaningful experience in one, two, or at most three functions before becoming a CEO. That doesn’t mean they can’t be effective stewards of the entire business, marketing included. From my time observing up close the CEOs of PepsiCo, Visa, LendingTree, and a late-stage startup that went public while I was the CMO, I saw how quickly these leaders could grasp what they needed to know about marketing. Yet, because marketing was often the largest cost center, they were rarely inclined to leave us marketers entirely to our own devices. Painful in the short term, yes, but beneficial over the long run. My two cents - if we want to understand why marketers thrive in some situations and struggle in others, we need to be thoughtful about how that gets framed. Yes, those knowledge driven factors always matter, but my experiences suggest there could be more to the story.
Marketing is the only C-suite discipline everyone thinks they can do.
Not to be hyperbolic, but maybe a little hyperbolic, this is one of the most critical issues we see in the business world. Breaking through this dynamic requires CMOs who can respectfully and thoughtfully take their CEO/CFO partners by the hand and educate them on how marketing can impact the business. It's a journey; it requires a real investment of time and energy. It takes time. Great post, Seth. I can't wait to watch the episode.
Seth Matlins, I have reported to CEOs from CFO backgrounds and visionary founders, so I get the frustration when marketing feels misunderstood. Execs often lean on what they know, like numbers or product, and marketing’s mix of creativity and impact can feel foreign. But I learned to meet them halfway by framing marketing in terms of clear outcomes like revenue growth or customer retention. This can build trust and get the resources we need. It’s less about changing CEOs/CFOs (that will never change) and more about speaking their language to drive results together.
Being exposed to marketing ≠ understanding marketing. When resource decisions are made without that understanding, CMOs get hamstrung and the whole business pays the price.
I couldn't agree more Seth Matlins - I also think with the rise of AI there's this question of automation and taking things to the machine, but the best marketing will always have humans at the center because it is based on emotion and no machine in the world can emulate that. So while sure AI unlocks real opportunities for data, speed, personalization and efficiencies, only the skilled and adept senior marketer can help deliver the raw emotion needed for the craft.
Good stuff. Is this one of the reasons why CMOs have the shortest average tenure of any C-suite role?
Marketer | Creator and Host of The CEO’s Guide to Marketing podcast
2moP.S. thanks to Jon Evans for having me on his Uncensored CMO pod from where this video clip originated.