The notion of a consulting assignment as a contract chief marketing officer (contract CMO or CCMO) or interim chief marketing officer (interim CMO) is a relatively new concept. Areas in which there are high densities of high technology companies have really created the demand for this level of consulting. Silicon Valley remains the center of this opportunity and it is very specifically driven by the venture capital community and the chief executive officers that serve them.
A contract chief marketing officer provides and supports a very broad mix of marketing and management activities. These activities may include contract program management, strategy, market opportunity analysis, corporate marketing, product marketing, content marketing, social media, demand generation, public relations, analyst relations, digital marketing, telemarketing, telesales, business development, and sales development.
Usually, during the first two weeks of the engagement time will be spent such that CCMO can come up to speed on the customer’s business, strategy, and overall operations. The initial deliverable usually includes the results of a marketing audit which will overview opportunities and challenges with the current customer go-to-market execution. The marketing audit leads to additional project deliverables which are summarized in a marketing dashboard and then prioritized with the customer. Proposed execution of deliverables will be reviewed with the customer, prioritized and targeted for completion. On a weekly basis, the status of deliverables on the marketing dashboard will be reviewed by all parties and plans will be adjusted to the satisfaction of the customer. In many ways, the CCMO is a proxy for a full-time CMO or vice president, marketing.
Over time the CCMO will assist in the hiring process for early marketing team members and will manage existing team members during that interim window. Upon hiring a full-time CMO, the CCMO will assist in supporting a transition window at the end of which the CCMO will exit the assignment. CCMO engagements can run from 15 hours per week to as much as 30 – 40 hours per week.
Benefits of retaining a CCMO engagement are fairly obvious. This enables the investors, board and chief executive officer to get capable hands-on marketing management in place in a matter of weeks. It also reduces the pressure on executive recruiters to rush hiring assignments which can often take a minimum of four to typically six months at the executive level.
