More on the merger of CIO and CMOs.
Wanted to write this earlier but it’s been a bit busy this week.
Zand makes some good points on the previous post. Increased technology awareness and expertise are attributes people in all areas of business should be striving towards.
However, I think it’s interesting that CIOs have listed “aligning IT strategy with business objectives” as their primary concern, year after year in every Forrester/Gartner/IDG survey that I’ve ever seen. Meanwhile, most surveys of business/marketing heads list “measuring return on marketing spending,” or “delivering integrated marketing campaigns” as their chief concerns.
The differences in these two perspectives have had clear impacts on how these disciplines have developed. I’ve worked in technology marketing since 1992 and have witnessed first-hand the evolution of senior IT awareness and sophistication around business and marketing concepts. However, the reverse has not been true. I’ll routinely run into or hear about senior marketing people who still don’t use email for themselves. In some circles, this is a badge of honour.
Another reader – Jackie – sent an article she’s written around the futility of trying to educate CEOs about technology. In particular, this quote (written towards CIOs) rings too true:
“A good CIO is a better VP of marketing than a VP of marketing The CIO knows where the problems are in a company. Focus on how to turn those problems into profits. So you’re thinking “With all I already have on my plate why should I take on that responsibility too?” Because you’re in the best position to be the most successful and it’s time to stop fighting the right battle with the wrong sword. The other two reasons are bonuses and commissions. Ever notice that everyone who already has a seat at the table already gets.”
