CEO @ CMO Huddles | Podcast host for B2B CMOs | Flocking Awesome CMO Coach + CMO Community Leader | AdAge CMO columnist | author Renegade Marketing | Penguin-in-Chief
“Did B2B break in 2024?” asked the penguin-hatted emcee of the CMO Super Huddle. The 100+ marketing leaders crammed into a Palo Alto hotel ballroom listened and nodded. Few had a great year. Most had major challenges, which they shared on a small card. An analysis of these challenges reveals some interesting truths about the CMO role. The CMO role remains the most bespoke in the C-suite This isn’t news. It’s just a reminder to avoid assumptions when speaking with CMOs. Some have vast portfolios and should call themselves “Chief Market Officers,” noted executive recruiting legend Kate Bullis. Most don’t. About half report to the CEO. A few “own” ecommerce and a P&L. Most don’t. Some own marketing and comms. Some have enlightened CEOs who understand that marketing is a growth lever. Most don’t! Few CMOs believe they have sufficient resources to hit their goals After years of budget cuts and goal hikes, many B2B CMOs are at the breaking point. Several highly skilled CMOs quit in 2024 in the face of relentless magical thinking by PE firms. Others describe their 2025 challenge as “dedicating sufficient resources (people + budget) to meet increasingly high goals,” “so many priorities, so few resources,” or simply “doing more with less.” To make this visceral, one CMO asked, “How can I scale demand and awareness with a budget of only $20,000/month?” Educating the C-Suite remains a top challenge This is not just about educating other execs that marketing is not a simple input/output function (like Jon Miller’s gumball machine metaphor). It turns out that a lot of execs, particularly at start-ups, can’t agree on a go-to-market strategy or even what “strategy” means. Thus CMO challenges like “GTM alignment,” “lack of clarity of business objectives” and “executive alignment & engagement around a cohesive customer-centric narrative” are surprisingly frequent. The era of just handing off leads to Sales is over While marketing leaders still wish their sales counterparts were better closers, few relinquish responsibility for conversion rates. Most CMOs now realize that MQLs and SQLs are meaningless if deals don’t get closed. As such, challenges like “pipeline progression,” “sales enablement,” and “improving close rates” are their top priorities. While these aren’t easily solved issues, marketers are finding meaningful ways to support their sales counterparts from discovery through acquisition and retention. And in doing so, become recognized as business leaders not just the marketing person! CMOs are remarkably resilient and infinitely curious Despite the challenges stated above (and many others I'll cover later), the atmosphere in the room was electric. For several hours, these execs ignored their email and listened intently. They shared leadership tips and sought answers on how GenAI would reshape their companies, products, and marketing. They opened their minds, prepared to pivot, and networked for answers. It was flocking awesome 🐧 💜