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Sheryl Pattek, Forrester Research
Sheryl Pattek, Forrester Research
Commentary
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How CIOs And CMOs Can Be Better Partners

CIOs can do a better job of collaborating with CMOs in three areas: people, process, and technology.

A hot topic over the past year in business and technology circles has been the relationship between the CMO and CIO. And for good reason. We're in the middle of one of the most transformative evolutions of digital technology adoption of our time.

But while CMOs and CIOs know they need to find ways to work together more closely in what Forrester is calling the "Age of the Customer," many executives see it as an alliance of necessity more than a exciting relationship. Why? In a word: territory. For years, the two worlds were silos, separated by corporate boundaries.

But as digital technology and data -- big or small -- becomes the key to unlocking customer engagement and business growth, CMOs have entered an arena that was traditionally the domain of IT heavyweights. And as a result, many CIOs have been relegated to ringside seats to watch the action. They're being eclipsed by CMOs who are leading efforts to use data and information technology to grow the company's business. But marketing shouldn't be a spectator sport. CIOs need to get in the ring.

From adversaries to compatriots

Earlier this year, Forbes and Forrester published the results from a joint survey of more than 300 senior marketing and IT professionals. The objective was to explore how the two disciplines work together and the results revealed interesting insights. The bottom line is that CMOs and CIOs can do a better job of collaborating and aligning in three areas: people, process, and technology.

The survey results also show that progress has been made when selecting technology and implementing joint projects. However, true collaboration remains a long way off.

Read the full article on InformationWeek

About The Author: Sheryl Pattek is a vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research serving CMOs.

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