If you missed Episode 1 of Old-Fashioned Marketing Season 4, here’s your shot of reality. Raja Walia and I cannonballed into why the seat of Chief Marketing Officer might be the most miserable seat in the C-suite right now, and how to keep your job without losing your mind.
Glass optional. Honesty mandatory.
TL;DR:
- Average CMO tenure is just 40 months, the shortest in the C-suite
- Survive by building allies, talking the language of the business, and reshaping your role before someone else does
- Kill tech stack bloat before it kills your budget
- Moving from CMO to CRO can be a power play or a career-ending faceplant
Why CMOs Have the Shortest Tenure in the C-Suite
According to Spencer Stuart, the average CMO tenure at Fortune 500 companies is 4.3 years. Still the shortest in the C-suite. And in 2025, the revolving door is spinning faster. If you’re a marketing leader, the clock starts ticking before you even get your login credentials.
The post-pandemic marketing landscape looks very different. AI-driven strategies are reshaping expectations, CEOs are pressing for faster revenue attribution, and CFOs are closely scrutinizing budgets. On top of that, the influx of new voices and perspectives, from social media to thought leadership platforms, creates both opportunities and challenges for marketing teams navigating this new terrain.
The New Pressures Facing Marketing Leaders in 2025
This isn’t just about working late. It’s about everyone thinking they can do your job and the C-suite treating you like a magician who can conjure pipeline out of thin air. Meanwhile, program budgets get axed while the over-bloated martech stack stays untouched because it looks good in an investor deck. Spoiler: those unused tools aren’t paying the bills. You can’t cut your way to growth.
How CMOs Can Build Influence Beyond Marketing
If you want to last more than 18 months as a Chief Marketing Officer, stop speaking in MQLs and start speaking in business. You should be in pricing meetings. You should know the product inside out. You should be able to walk into finance, talk margins, and walk out without a nosebleed. And you need allies. If you’re not making friends in the C-suite, you’re building your own exit strategy.
The Pros and Cons of Moving from CMO to CRO
On paper, the CRO transition can look like the next rung on the ladder. In reality, it’s a different game with different rules. Owning the quota means earning respect the hard way, and results don’t come free. If you don’t understand the mechanics, you’ll tank fast. Sometimes the smarter play is reshaping the CMO role to cover more ground instead of bailing for a title you’re not ready for.
Survival Strategies for Modern Marketing Executives
Season 4 of our podcast isn’t therapy; it’s a playbook. Raja and I are talking about what actually works to keep your CMO tenure from becoming a 12-month cautionary tale. Build allies. Speak business fluently. Cut the dead weight from your tech stack. Make career moves that make sense. The 2025 business climate isn’t forgiving, but you can still win. Just stop playing the old game.
My Key Quotes from the Episode
- “If you’re only talking about MQLs, you’re already on the chopping block.”
- “Cutting program dollars while keeping a dozen underused tools is like sinking your own ship and calling it innovation.”
- “The CMO seat might be the worst job in the C-suite, and I mean that with love and a little bit of PTSD.”
Episode Synopsis: Season 4, Episode 1 of Old-Fashioned Marketing is a no-BS look at why the CMO role is under more pressure than ever in the 2025 business climate, how to expand your influence, and whether a CRO move is a promotion or a trap.
