CMOs Are Under Fire, But the Measurement Model Should Be

Companies rely on CMOs to operate across functions — influencing product, brand, sales, communications, culture and customer experience — but still judge them by marketing-owned metrics. The result is a role that is critical to the business but often treated like a cost center instead of a growth lever.

This is the shift modern CMOs are navigating.

They are no longer simply driving campaigns. They are shaping how the company operates. They influence alignment, expectations and decisions across the business. They integrate how the brand shows up with how the business performs. Their value is structural. Their impact is cross-functional. Their work is commercial. But the measurement model hasn’t caught up.