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Getting in with the In Crowd_JOSM_Final_Upload.pdf (193.66 kB)

Getting in with the “In” crowd: how to put marketing back on the CEO’s agenda

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journal contribution
posted on 2014-04-02, 09:29 authored by Philipp Klaus, Bo Edvardsson, Timothy L. Keiningham, Thorsten GruberThorsten Gruber
Purpose – Despite efforts by researchers and managers to better link marketing activities with business financial outcomes, there is general agreement that by and large chief marketing officers (CMOs) (and marketing in general) have lost strategic decision-making influence within organizations. The purpose of this paper is to understand the causes of this decline and offer recommended solutions to counteract this trend. Design/methodology/approach – In-depth interviews lasting between 40 and 55 minutes were conducted with 25 chief executive officers (CEOs) of service companies located in Western Europe, North America, and Australia. In total, 13 difference countries were represented. Using Emerging Consensus Technique, we identified four main themes, which cause the goals of CEOs and those of CMOs/marketing to diverge. Findings – The primary cause of the decline of strategic influence of CMOs and marketing overall with CEOs is a function of four key issues: first, the role of the CMO (e.g. task overload, focus on tactical issues, “outdated” skill set); second, lack of financial accountability (e.g. the inability to connect marketing efforts to financial returns); third, digital and social media (e.g. a perceived obsession with new technology); and forth, lack of strategic vision and impact (e.g. lost sight of “core” job, use of irrelevant metrics). Practical implications – The findings indicate that CMOs must address the four key issues uncovered for marketing to attain/regain a role in strategic decision making. A proposed roadmap for putting marketing back on the CEOs agenda is presented to guide CMOs. Originality/value – This research provides marketers with a CEO eye view of their role within organizations.

History

School

  • Business and Economics

Department

  • Business

Citation

KLAUS, P. ... et al., 2014. Getting in with the “In” crowd: how to put marketing back on the CEO’s agenda. Journal of Service Management, 25 (2), pp. 195 - 212.

Publisher

© Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Version

  • AM (Accepted Manuscript)

Publication date

2014

Notes

This article was published in the Journal of Service Management [© Emerald Group Publishing Limited] and the definitive version is available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-02-2014-0041

ISSN

1757-5818

Language

  • en