One feature of the conversation
about CIOs in recent months has been about where they stand in regard to chief
marketing officers (CMOs). It’s an acknowledgement that one of prime functions
of an organisation’s information strategy is to support its marketing, and
there have been suggestions that the CIO should be regarded primarily as part
of the CMO’s team.
Accenture has thrown its voice
into the debate with the publication of a report, Cutting
across the CMO-CIO divide, which it says reflects a sea change as more CIOs
put marketing at the top of their agendas. It’s core message is that, while
they understand the need to collaborate, they don’t get on over a number of
issues.
For example, a lot of CMOs think
that IT teams don’t get the need for urgency in integrating new data sources
into campaigns as required, and that technology development is too slow for
digital marketing. CIOs complain about shifting goalposts and marketing’s lack
of vision in anticipating new digital channels.
All this is no big surprise.
Conflicting agendas are part of daily life in the boardroom, and it becomes
more fraught when technology is involved as it advances so quickly and the two
sides have a different focus. It can also be complicated by issues around data
regulation; marketing teams see the opportunities in acquiring and squeezing
customer data, while CIOs are aware of the legal limitations and know any
transgressions will place them in the firing line.
It shouldn’t be impossible to
overcome these tensions; after all, the teams are led by highly paid people who
are all meant to have an understanding of the whole business. But it might need
a stronger consensus over who is in overall charge of digital issues: who has
the final say and is ultimately responsible for any failures.
The CIO is the obvious choice,
as information is the foundation of a digital strategy and the focus of his or
her responsibility. They spend more of their time and think more deeply about
the digital aspects of the business, and should be the prime source of
expertise.
But in plenty of organisations
that is going to stir up fresh tensions. You cannot stop CMOs and their teams from
keeping a sharp eye on the digital opportunities in marketing and making a
noise over wanting to grab them, even if they are unproved or could bring
unwelcome consequences.
A merger between the two
departments – an idea that is occasionally floated – could only come to grief.
You’re looking at two groups of people with different mindsets: marketers who
want to excite the customer, and information specialists with a more methodical
outlook on making sure it all flows as it should. It’s right that, as Accenture
suggests, there should be an organisational digital vision to underpin
collaboration, but they will remain separate entities.
Solutions won’t come easily and
this tension is likely to rumble on for some time. But if CIOs don’t obtain the
ultimate authority over digital strategies it will seriously undermine what
their role is all about.
Mark
Say is a UK based writer who covers the role of information management and
technology in business. See www.marksay.co.uk
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