The recent decision by The Coca-Cola Company to do away with the chief marketing officer (CMO) position must have given many CMOs sleepless nights. Those who weren’t rocked by the fact that they may be replaced by the chief growth officer perhaps don’t fully understand the gravity of the situation. Has Coca-Cola rung the death knell for the traditional ad man? Coca-Cola’s chief growth officer combines the positions of global marketing, strategy, and customer and commercial leadership in one overarching function. This already shows that the traditional right-brain creative-orientated leader has made way for one that integrates both hemispheres to accommodate the added responsibility. The path Coca-Cola is taking shows that new marketing leaders need to be well rounded. This might terrify the living daylights out of traditional marketers, but the next generation is likely to be one that starts with data. Start With Data – a fundamental element of the Coca-Cola lesson, but, important...
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