UK CMOs overwhelmed by tech burden as marketing roles evolve

New research indicates that the vast majority of Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) in the UK would have reconsidered their career choice had they known the role would become so technology-driven.

According to a study conducted by Intermedia Global (IMG), 92% of CMOs said they would have pursued a different profession if they had realised just how tech-heavy marketing had become. The data highlights a significant shift in the responsibilities of marketing leaders within mid-sized British businesses generating annual revenues of GBP £100 million to GBP £500 million.

Rising technology burden

The report, which canvassed 250 UK-based C-Suite professionals responsible for marketing technology, also shows that this sentiment is even higher among those CMOs with extensive experience. In particular, every respondent who had held their current CMO role for between three and six years - a group described in the research as 'experienced, world-weary CMOs' - said they would have chosen a different path if they had been aware of the technological demands associated with the job.

This finding, according to IMG, suggests the sector is facing a talent crisis, with the most seasoned marketing leaders at risk of operational burnout. The reliance on technology now extends across marketing teams more broadly. The study reveals that, on average, 45% of all marketing team members in these organisations now occupy roles that are primarily or exclusively focused on technology, particularly around managing the organisation's marketing technology stack (martech stack).

Changing responsibilities

Responsibility for the martech stack most commonly falls under the CMO's remit rather than that of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) or Chief Information/Technology Officer (CIO/CTO). The research found that 35% of businesses make the head of marketing accountable for the martech stack, in contrast to 19% allocating the responsibility to the head of finance and only 18% to the head of IT.

Adoption of new marketing technology is likewise most frequently driven by the CMO, with 30% of organisations indicating the head of marketing holds the greatest influence over such decisions. This is in comparison to 25% of organisations where the primary drivers are the finance or procurement teams, or the CIO/CTO.

Complexity and overload

No-one got into marketing because they wanted to work in tech support. And yet, that's where we are now. The martech stack is king, and creativity and corporate strategy are in second place at best.

Karla Wentworth, Chief Strategy Officer of IMG, said: "With more than 15,000 different tools now available to marketers, including the addition of AI platforms in recent years, technology has become so confusing and complex that it's no wonder it's taking up all the marketing team's time. Does tool A talk to tool B? Can a creaking legacy tech stack handle sophisticated AI functionality? Whose job is it to fix it when something goes wrong? Does each country or region within the business have its own martech stack?"

"It's often a nightmare. The Marketing Experience (MX) of how marketers work with their tech tools and try to reduce friction has become fraught with risk. It's no wonder that CMOs burn out and keep moving roles. They're crying out for help in dealing with their tech so they can actually do marketing again."

Impact on creativity

The increased focus on technology within marketing teams is altering their composition and core activities. Wentworth highlighted: "Thanks to the profusion of martech, marketing departments now often have more tech experts than actual marketers. That's not exactly conducive to great creative campaigns that seize the imaginations and emotions of audiences."

"Businesses understand the importance of their martech, because it's the technology that their customers see in action. But the fact that everything often comes under the CMO's purview can be self-defeating in the long run. Some CMOs are unquestionably tech experts, but many aren't - and even those who are experts need free time to focus on marketing strategy."

The survey was undertaken to gain insight into the current trends shaping marketing leadership and team structure, especially within the context of increasing digital transformation and the expanding martech ecosystem in UK mid-sized businesses.