Read "From Stretched to Strengthened" This is the IBM Chief Marketing Officer Study which was conducted in 2011. The objective of this exercise it to acquaint you with the role of the CMO and how it has changed in recent years. Most large companies now have put CMO's in place and they have a seat in the board room with other top executives. This gives marketing a much more leveraged position in these companies but it is not an easy role. The challenges on the CMO these days are many: the economy, resource reductions, technology, social media and extreme pressure to expand to new markets and generate more revenue from existing markets. This document is an excellent resource on what 1700 CMOs are thinking on a worldwide basis.

I would like you to give me your thoughts on the role of the CMO from your perspective and use the following questions as a guide: What are the challenges facing CMOs today? How as the role changed? What can you do to prepare for market changes? How are you developing your team to understand new markets? What areas would you be investing in today? How do you bridge your marketing role across the organization? How would you use alliances outside your company? What do you need to grow yourself personally? Is this a role that you could see yourself aspiring to in the business world?