Marketing is rapidly becoming one of the most technology-dependent
functions in business. In response, a new type of executive is emerging--the
chief marketing technologist. CMTs are part strategist, part creative director,
part technology leader, and part teacher. They go by various titles, but they
share a common job, intersecting with four key stakeholders in the
organization: The CMO and other senior marketing executives. Here, the CMT
supports strategy by ensuring technical capabilities and advocating for
approaches enabled by new technologies. The CIO and IT. The chief marketing
technologist facilitates and prioritizes technology requests from marketing,
translating between technical and marketing requirements and making sure that
marketing’s systems adhere to IT policies. The marketing team. The task here is
to ensure that the marketing staff has the right software and training.
Software and service providers. The CMT assesses how well outside vendors’
technical capabilities meet marketing’s needs, helps integrate the systems, and
monitors their performance. A thumbnail profile of Mayur Gupta, the global head
of marketing technology and operations at Kimberly-Clark, shows just how
open-ended the CMT role is and why an executive fully at home in both marketing
and IT is essential for the job. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]