The main difference between these two roles is that, when a CMO focuses on strategy and implementation, a VP of marketing focuses on execution and tactics. While second-level executives are responsible for maximizing the value of their domain, the CMO is responsible for the growth of the entire company. This is a huge change in priority and cannot be taken lightly. In today's business environment, many organizations have a vice president of marketing and a chief marketing officer or CMO.
Despite being just a step away, the responsibilities of a VP of Marketing and a Chief Marketing Officer are drastically different. However, understanding their similarities and differences can be difficult for anyone outside the top management of enterprise-level companies. Vice presidents of marketing often quickly become chief marketing officers, although many have proven to be veterans at the VP level and like to participate in execution to a certain extent. When you realize that you'll need to look for a candidate for external marketing director (or you'll have to fill a vice president vacancy due to an internal promotion), work closely with a marketing executive selection firm that specializes in finding extraordinary marketing leaders.
Vice Presidents of Marketing must work independently and collaborate effectively with different departments, such as Human Resources and Sales, to achieve common goals. If you've ever wondered what the difference is between the vice president (VP) of marketing and the chief marketing officer (CMO), you're not alone. The more complex a company is, the more complex it is to communicate on its behalf, and therefore a modern and expert CMO is needed. The main difference between the two is that marketing managers oversee the entire marketing department, while vice presidents of marketing report to the marketing director and manage smaller parts of the department.
An additional difference is that vice presidents tend to focus more on day-to-day responsibilities than on long-term goals, such as a chief marketing officer. The main difference between a vice president and a 26% CMO is that, while the title of vice president can be used to describe many different executives within the organization, there can only be one CMO. The chief marketing officer is often the most prominent face of major brands, but this role involves more than meets the eye. CMOs are expected to oversee the entire team, not just part of it, and they must be able to oversee the strategy at the organizational level.
Another difference is that vice presidents tend to focus more on day-to-day responsibilities than on long-term goals, such as a chief marketing officer. Therefore, the CMO needs to understand the buying personalities of his company, the objectives of his competitors, and the best way to communicate with both to achieve these goals.
