[GTM glossary](/glossary.md) Chief marketing officer Marketing # Chief marketing officer (CMO) Also known as: chief marketing officers In short A chief marketing officer (CMO) is the C-level executive responsible for marketing. The role covers brand, positioning, demand generation, product marketing, and the budget and team behind them. In B2B, the CMO is often a key buyer or approver for marketing technology, data, and agency spend, and increasingly shares pipeline and revenue goals with sales. ## What a CMO is responsible for * **Strategy and positioning:** Defining the target market, the message, and how the company is different. * **Demand generation:** Owning programs that create pipeline, from content and events to paid and account-based campaigns. * **Brand:** Keeping the company's identity and voice consistent across channels. * **Budget and team:** Deciding where spend goes, hiring leaders, and choosing tools and agencies. * **Measurement:** Reporting on pipeline, revenue influence, and efficiency to the CEO and board. --- ## CMO vs. other revenue leaders The CMO leads marketing. A chief revenue officer (CRO) oversees marketing, sales, and customer success revenue together, and a VP of marketing usually runs the function below the CMO. In smaller companies the founder or a head of marketing does the CMO job without the title. --- ## Selling to a CMO ### What they tend to care about Pipeline contribution, cost efficiency, brand impact, and proving results to the board. They often have little time, so concise, outcome-focused messages work better than feature lists. ### How to approach * Reference a specific goal or initiative, such as a new market launch or an account-based push. * Connect your offer to a metric they report on. * Consider reaching their directors and managers first; they often evaluate tools and bring in the CMO to approve. --- ## Example Say a rep sells a data tool to a mid-size software company. A CMO there might sign off on the budget, while a demand generation manager runs the trial and a marketing operations lead handles integration. The rep builds relationships with all three rather than waiting for the CMO alone. --- ## Common mistakes when targeting CMOs * **Generic outreach:** Executives ignore messages that could be sent to anyone. * **Skipping the team:** Going only to the top misses the people who shape the decision. * **Assuming the title is the same everywhere:** Scope varies by company size and stage, so check what the person actually owns. --- ## Chief marketing officer FAQs **What does a chief marketing officer (CMO) do?** A CMO leads a company's marketing function. They set strategy and positioning, own brand and demand generation, manage the marketing budget and team, and report on how marketing contributes to pipeline and revenue. **What is the difference between a CMO and a CRO?** A CMO leads marketing only. A chief revenue officer oversees all revenue-generating teams, typically marketing, sales, and customer success. In some companies the CMO reports to the CRO, and in others they are peers. **How do you sell to a chief marketing officer?** Lead with a specific business goal, such as pipeline growth or a new market launch, and tie your offer to a metric they report on. Keep messages short, and also build contacts with the managers who evaluate tools. **Does every company have a chief marketing officer?** No. Smaller companies often have a head of marketing, a VP, or a founder handling the work. The CMO title is more common in larger or fast-growing companies where marketing is a distinct executive function. Share term --- ## More related phrases * [Chief sales officer](/glossary/chief-sales-officer.md) * [VP of Sales](/glossary/vp-of-sales.md) * [AIDA framework](/glossary/aida-framework.md) ## Similar phrases * [Chief revenue officer (CRO)](/glossary/chief-revenue-officer.md) A chief revenue officer (CRO) is the executive responsible for all revenue-generating functions, often sales, marketing, and customer success. * [Demand generation](/glossary/demand-generation.md) Demand generation is the set of marketing activities that create awareness and interest in a product among target buyers, before and alongside lead capture. * [Account-based marketing (ABM)](/glossary/account-based-marketing.md) Account-based marketing (ABM) is a B2B strategy that focuses marketing and sales effort on a defined set of target accounts, with personalized campaigns instead of broad lead generation. * [Marketing operations](/glossary/marketing-operations.md) Marketing operations is the team and set of practices that manage marketing technology, data, process, and measurement so campaigns run efficiently and results can be reported accurately. * [Fractional CMO](/glossary/fractional-cmo.md) A fractional CMO is an experienced marketing executive who works part-time or on contract for a company, providing strategy and leadership without the cost of a full-time chief marketing officer.