Interim Cmos Can Help A Brand Define Itself

It is easy to overlook the fact that consumers have access to all of the world’s collective information on the internet, available around-the-clock with the click of a mouse. And countless hours of compelling entertainment can be readily streamed at any time through companies like Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and Amazon Prime. That makes it difficult for companies to stand out from the noise.

Consumers’ attention is more divided than ever, and multiple studies actually show that people’s attention spans are shrinking. That’s why companies are looking for ways to bolster their brand awareness and position their business as a trusted authority within their niche in new exciting ways.

Many companies are also rethinking their corporate structure, culture, and hierarchy to define their brand for the information age. Interim Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) represent a unique opportunity for many of these companies to modernize their managerial structure, foster a culture of agility and innovation, and define their brand in the digital age. Let’s explore what exactly interim CMOs are and how they can help brands to define themselves in these changing times.

How the CMO Role is Changing

The role of a CMO has always been dynamic, fast-moving, and deeply responsive to market trends. As part of the C-suite, CMOs manage marketing departments and the tasks related to brand management, market research, advertising, public relations, search engine optimization, and other marketing domains. As a result, CMOs are often knowledgeable generalists that synthesize an understanding of many different fields with intrapersonal and management expertise.

CMOs typically report directly to the CEO and interact frequently with their peers in an organization, such as Chief Operating Officers, Chief Information Officers, Chief Technology Officers, and Chief Financial Officers. CMOs also work closely with brand managers to build trust and loyalty in the company’s brand. They make sure that all marketing activities align with the company’s branding goals.

Since the role of CMO requires dynamic leadership, the ability to adapt pivot based on changing market conditions and constant learning is crucial. Consequently, static, hierarchical company structures are often a bug, not a feature, of the profession.

CMOs, just like other executive leaders, are vulnerable to being siloed within their role, resistant to change, and stuck in their ways. Nothing could be more damaging to effective leadership in the digital age.

That’s why many companies are experimenting with alternative business structures that give executives a better framework to be agile, fast-moving, and adaptive. Some companies have begun hiring interim CMOs as part of this transformation.

The Advantages of Interim CMOs

Interim CMOs are Chief Marketing Officers that are hired on a part-time basis or for a limited timeframe. Some interim CMOs work on a per-project basis to address specific strategic goals for a company. Many interim CMOs specializes in bringing a creative, out-of-the-box perspective to leading a company’s marketing department and in the process can counteract harmful groupthink or echo chambers within a company.

Since interim CMOs often work with multiple companies, they bring a more diversified set of skills and experiences to the table when working on marketing initiatives and achieving key performance indicators. It’s easy to imagine that a CMO that works for the same company for years might be stuck in a specific way of thinking or unable to consider different points of view. Interim CMOs, on the other hand, can bring a completely new perspective to a company’s marketing challenges and be unbiased and results-focused.

Some interim CMOs also bring their own team on board when working with new companies. In this case, the interim CMO’s team would work in tandem with the company’s marketing department to achieve strategic goals. Often, interim CMOs’ teams are highly specialized, possessing unique expertise in specific areas such as search engine optimization, content marketing, or programmatic marketing.

Interim CMOs for Branding Efforts

For many companies struggling to find their place in a new market, or attempting to accelerate their growth, interim CMOs can be extremely effective. Many businesses become confined to a rigid, stale, or outdated brand identity despite changing consumer preferences.  In these cases, a rebranding effort can transform businesses for the better and help them to achieve improved and more targeted marketing segmentation.

In executing rebranding efforts because they are not tied to a company’s history, its existing corporate culture, or potentially outdated corporate dogma. Using a fresh and impartial perspective, interim CMOs can lead rebranding efforts by managing the marketing department to create unique content, advertising campaigns, and PR opportunities.

Even for younger companies that may not yet have nailed down their brand identity, interim CMOs can be a valuable asset. According to Digital Authority Partners, by bringing a diverse range of experiences gathered by working with many different companies, interim CMOs can advise companies about how to position their brand to stand out in the marketplace.

Positioning is a key concept in branding, and it refers to the place a brand occupies in the minds of consumers. By understanding a company’s competitors, interim CMOs can help companies establish where they fit into the market and, in some cases, even create their own category within it.

In conclusion, we’ve seen why good CMOs are typically both generalists, possessing a wide range of skills, and dynamic, able to adapt to changing market conditions on the fly. Given the fast-paced digital economy we live in today, there are an increasing number of reasons that interim CMOs might better exemplify those qualities for many companies.