Chief Marketing Officers are short-lived in the C-suite

A strong marketing strategy can make all the difference in determining whether the campaigns a business runs will sink or swim.

Unlike tangible products and services, the marketing we run to promote them is highly subjective. When we design these materials, we seek a balance between conveying a set of values that motivate our audience and concretely presenting what we have to offer.

The difficulty of this exercise may explain why Chief Marketing Officers have the shortest tenures among C-suite executives.

A recent study found that CMOs have an average tenure of just 3.5 years, down from 4.1 years in 2016.The trend is notable because most CMOs come into their roles with considerable experience. The average age of a CMO is 54 years old, up from 52 in 2016. In the industrial sector, they skew a bit older at 55 years old on average, while they're 52 years old on average in the consumer sector.

Those in the technology sector have the shortest average tenure at just three years. The report underscores the importance of hiring individuals who have a sound understanding of the core business. Their creativity, important as it is, may only be as valuable as the ability to align messaging with a company's true position within a given sector.

Companies often seek a change in direction from a marketing standpoint when there is an apparent need for a fresh presentation, or a belief that some kind of "reset" is required to drive new growth. Many CMOs likely recognize that their pursuit of success for a company is on borrowed time, which is why it's essential to make sure that their approach will be captivating for the right reasons.

Many different analyses come with a variety of useful insights about C-suite trends and a pattern of higher turnover in recent years. Closely monitoring these trends helps Michael Kelly Associates anticipate movement of talent and understand what kinds of shifts may be necessary when shaping your executive team.

Photo Credit: Serpstat/Pexels.com