There's an elite cadre of CEOs out in the marketplace who have a clear advantage over their counterparts: CEOs with a marketing background.

The good news is their "secret sauce" advantage comes from understanding marketing, because that's knowledge any company leader can acquire.

Here's a look at what gives marketing-focused CEO's the leg up in the business world, and what you can learn from them.

Study Says...

A study presented at a recent American Marketing Association conference found that 25% of CEOs come from a marketing or sales background.

Does hiring a marketer CEO to run your business help ensure success? B2B companies seem to think so. According to the same study, 42% of B2B companies employ CEOs with marketing experience.

So, why do executives with sales and marketing expertise make effective CEOs, and what marketing-CEO insights can the other 75% learn and apply to their organizations?

Marketing CEOs Are Typically More Successful for Two Reasons