Many companies have opted to hire Chief Marketing Officers in lieu of the traditional vice president. Texas Entrepreneur Networks sat down with John Doyle of LGE Execs to discuss the emergence of this new position in Corporate America, and how it differs from the run-of-the-mill marketing executive.

TXENetworks: How is the role of the CMO different from the traditional marketing vice president?
Doyle: The role of a CMO is a recognition that the head of marketing is really an upper level management position who has a say in the overall direction of the firm. When the role is performed properly, it takes into account the time and effort it takes to monitor market trends to move the company forward, as opposed to being reactive–which has traditionally been the case for most marketing departments.

The role usually involves attention to branding, the overall product portfolio, the go to market strategy for selling, and anything that represents external projection of the firm on the market. The CMO takes these items into account in a way that hadn't before, especially since companies are recognizing that the perception of the brand contributes directly to the bottom line of the company.

TXENetworks: What skill sets are most companies looking for in a CMO position that they weren't getting from marketing VPs and directors?
Doyle: All good CMOs are entrepreneurial and innovative in their approach, and they are usually business people who have been good at managing numbers, budgets, and setting and achieving goals. The difference with the CMO is that they are usually not promoted to roles of marketing from within as with the case in many technology companies where engineering or sales professionals have been promoted from within to manage marketing almost as an afterthought. It's the overall recognition of the company that realizes that marketing is much more important to the company direction than previously thought.

TXENetworks: What other responsibilities would a CMO have that a VP wouldn't have?
Doyle: In the B2B world, everything has to do with the external projection of the company, and it has a direct impact about how people feel about your brand. The brand can also be recognized in the company culture–in other words, people have perceptions about what it's like to work at that company or what the company stands for. So ultimately this attention to corporate culture directly impacts the company's ability to attract talent and customers, and I'd say that was much different than companies even 10 years ago.

TXENetworks: Do you see the role of the CMO being outsourced in the same way that outsourced CFOs have been in the last 15-20 years?
Doyle: Absolutely. Many companies recognize that their marketing issues may have only a 6-18 month window where its an issue. They can also bring in specific market expertise from a consultant, where they will not only make decisions from their knowledge of the market, but they will also be frank with their opinions as an outsider. We see the emergence of the outsourced CMO in many larger companies moving forward.