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What is a chief marketing officer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted Experts
Tobias Sellier,
Richard Tate
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A chief marketing officer is an executive-level position responsible for leading a company's marketing efforts. They are responsible for developing and executing marketing strategies that drive business growth, increase brand awareness, and improve customer engagement. A chief marketing officer oversees market research, product development, pricing strategies, advertising campaigns, and public relations initiatives. A chief marketing officer must have strong leadership skills, excellent communication skills, and a deep understanding of consumer behavior and market trends.

What general advice would you give to a Chief Marketing Officer?

Tobias SellierTobias Sellier LinkedIn Profile

Senior Director, American Public Power Association

There are exciting opportunities to work for community-owned, not-for-profit, hometown public power. From engineers and customer service representatives to lineworkers and administrative professionals, there are many opportunities. And utility employees, being essential workers, even during these challenging times, there are still many jobs that will need to be filled.
ScoreChief Marketing OfficerUS Average
Salary
8.5

Avg. Salary $135,198

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
7.5

Growth Rate 10%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.1
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 8.15%

Black or African American 3.04%

Hispanic or Latino 8.67%

Unknown 5.32%

White 74.58%

Gender

female 32.01%

male 67.99%

Age - 38
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38
Stress Level
7.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
9.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
3.5

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Chief Marketing Officer?

Pros

  • High level of responsibility and influence in shaping the company's strategy

  • Opportunity to lead and manage a team of marketing professionals

  • Competitive salary and benefits package

  • Room for creativity and experimentation in developing marketing campaigns

  • Potential for career advancement to executive positions

Cons

  • High pressure to meet performance targets and ROI expectations

  • Long hours and demanding workload, including weekends and holidays

  • Constant need to stay updated on emerging trends and technologies in the industry

  • Dealing with ambiguity and uncertainty in developing marketing strategies

  • Balancing short-term and long-term goals while managing limited resources

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Chief Marketing Officer career paths

Key steps to become a chief marketing officer

  1. Explore chief marketing officer education requirements

    Most common chief marketing officer degrees

    Bachelor's

    71.6 %

    Master's

    18.5 %

    Associate

    4.6 %
  2. Start to develop specific chief marketing officer skills

    SkillsPercentages
    CMO13.65%
    Patients7.14%
    Digital Marketing6.87%
    Sales Strategy5.22%
    Market Research4.14%
  3. Complete relevant chief marketing officer training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New chief marketing officers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a chief marketing officer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real chief marketing officer resumes.
  4. Research chief marketing officer duties and responsibilities

    • Manage professional staff and liaise with U.S. dairy co-op, trade promotion groups, and government oversight and advertising agencies.
    • Lead global marketing planning efforts and serve as internal media subject matter expert for portfolio, brands and loyalty marketing initiatives.
    • Manage agency and provide direction and day-to-day oversight.
    • Develop and manage marketing programs and partner integration for industry marketing in government, healthcare and education markets.
  5. Get chief marketing officer experience

    Generally, it takes 8-10 years to become a chief marketing officer. The most common roles before becoming a chief marketing officer include marketing director, marketing vice president team lead and vice president.
  6. Prepare your chief marketing officer resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your chief marketing officer resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a chief marketing officer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

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  7. Apply for chief marketing officer jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a chief marketing officer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Chief Marketing Officer Job

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Average chief marketing officer salary

The average Chief Marketing Officer salary in the United States is $135,198 per year or $65 per hour. Chief marketing officer salaries range between $72,000 and $253,000 per year.

Average Chief Marketing Officer Salary
$135,198 Yearly
$65.00 hourly

What Am I Worth?

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How do chief marketing officers rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

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Chief Marketing Officer reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019
Pros

Overseeing printing For direct mail. Packaging design Developing hot mail list.

Cons

Unreasonable deadlines.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019
Pros

Autonomy, relationship biolding

Cons

Meetings needs of all parties can be difficult but good negotiation helps!


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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