The average tenure of chief marketing officers has declined from 43 months in 2018 to 41 months in 2019, according to new research from leadership consulting firm Spencer Stuart.
Other C-level executives stay in their roles considerably longer than 41 months, the shortest average tenure for CMOs since 2009. Here are potential reasons for the brief average tenure:
- Some companies pigeonhole CMOs into fairly narrow messaging duties without allowing them to step into wider roles that propel growth.
- Many CMOs struggle with proving their effectiveness, since the results they could point to are complicated by fickle consumer and competitor forces.
- In some cases, CMOs voluntarily leave for other job opportunities.