Reggie Who?

Reality is that few CMOs match the "Super CMO" profile. In fact, it is a challenge even to figure out who they are, most of the time. Around our office, we have turned the case of the missing CMOs into a game of "Where's Waldo?" The first part of the game is spotting references to CMOs in newspapers, magazines, and online.

The second part, nailing down their contact information for a database we've dubbed "The Waldo File," is even more difficult. A good number of brands have built a fortress around their organizations to the point where it simply is not possible to speak to a real, live person on the telephone to confirm their CMO is alive and well and planning his next coupon drop.

Now, we understand that CMOs are busy people. Yes, most of them are very, very busy trying to find their seats at the table in the coveted C suite, right next to the CEO, the CFO, the CIO, the COO, the CCO, the CAO, the CTO, the CBO, the CLO, the CKO and, last but not least, the CZO.

Conventional wisdom has it that the CMO will find a permanent place around the big table once they figure out how to calculate the return on the money they spend on their marketing programs. That is certainly important. Just ask the CFO.

But they might also give a little bit of thought to whether ROI might start with speaking up for their customers.

Just ask Reggie.

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