I've read that the average life expectancy (that is, job tenure) of a CMO is two years. Why is this so?


Some say it's the inability of marketing to deliver. Some say it's its inability to measure. Others attribute the gloomy statistics to a dramatically changing marketing landscape in which many find it difficult to keep up.
I suspect a mix of all of the above -- plus something else: colleagues in other departments who bind our hands with unreasonable expectations, unfair limitations and irrational impositions.
Yes, the cowman and farmer should be friends. But damn, why is it so hard for IT, HR, finance and sales to get along with marketing?
I don't have the answer. But I do suggest that when our colleagues suck the life out of our marketing efforts, we learn to bite back. Here's what I mean: