{"id":111553,"date":"2026-01-22T15:14:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T15:14:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2026\/01\/22\/why-cmo-tenure-remains-stubbornly-short\/"},"modified":"2026-01-22T15:15:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T15:15:06","slug":"why-cmo-tenure-remains-stubbornly-short","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2026\/01\/22\/why-cmo-tenure-remains-stubbornly-short\/","title":{"rendered":"Why CMO Tenure Remains Stubbornly Short"},"content":{"rendered":"

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For 20 years, govt search and advisory agency Spencer Stuart has printed information on chief advertising officer (CMO) tenure. Since 2022, the typical variety of years that advertising bosses keep in a single function has hovered round 4 years.<\/p>\n

ADWEEK can solely reveal that CMO tenure amongst S&P 500 corporations now stands at 4.1 years in 2025, down barely from 4.3 years in 2024. That compares to five years for all C-suite roles.<\/p>\n

Chief executives (CEOs) keep a median of seven.6 years, whereas chief monetary officers (CFOs) usually stay in submit for 4.7. Solely chief working officers\u2019 (COO) tenures have been shorter, at 3.3 years on common, owing to their aspirations to step as much as the CEO workplace. <\/p>\n

The explanation for the incremental year-on-year CMO tenure decline, in accordance with Richard Sanderson, who leads Spencer Stuart\u2019s advertising, gross sales, and communications officer apply in North America, is because of the affect of longtime CMO exits on the dataset. As an example, Raja Rajamannar left Mastercard <\/a>after 13 years as chief advertising and communications officer.<\/p>\n

Whereas some would possibly learn CMOs\u2019 comparatively brief reigns as a sign they\u2019re failing to make an affect or being fired, Sanderson mentioned the info exhibits the other to be true.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuick tenure is definitely a operate of the function,\u201d he advised ADWEEK, \u201cas a result of the CMO function is a developmental one which leads as a stepping stone or a springboard onto greater issues.\u201d <\/p>\n

Beneath, ADWEEK unpacks 4 of the highest findings from Spencer Stuart\u2019s 2025 CMO Tenure report. <\/p>\n

1. CMOs are shifting on up<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Hinge CMO Jackie Jantos was promoted to CEO in 2025. \/ Hinge<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When CMOs go away their function, they’re prone to advance to larger tasks, the report discovered. <\/p>\n

Of the 218 CMO exits between 2021 and 2025, practically two-thirds (62%) have been both promoted at their firm or went on to the same or greater function at one other firm. <\/p>\n

Notably, 9% superior to a CEO function, as Hinge\u2019s Jackie Jantos did in 2025<\/a> after 4 years as advertising chief. 13% grow to be a divisional CEO, COO, or president. <\/p>\n

Of these leaving their group, 77% of CMOs landed at a brand new firm inside six months.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The CMO-to-CEO pipeline was extra distinguished at CPG manufacturers like Procter & Gamble (P&G), the place CMOs have been typically groomed for the CEO function. CMO tenure at these corporations was the shortest of all of the industries Spencer Stuart analyzed, at 3.5 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cLow CMO tenure just isn’t an indication of failure. In actual fact, fairly the other. It\u2019s truly an indication of success, as a result of so lots of them are being promoted into different roles,\u201d mentioned Sanderson. <\/p>\n

2. Manufacturers are advertising with no CMO<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Simply over a 3rd of manufacturers are with no CMO \/ Getty<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Consistent with 2024\u2019s findings, roughly a 3rd (31%) of SP&P 500 corporations shouldn’t have a CMO.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, that doesn\u2019t imply they don\u2019t have a advertising boss; the accountability merely sits elsewhere on the org chart. <\/p>\n

Sanderson mentioned corporations are more and more hiring for various or complementary positions, together with chief development officer (CGO), crammed by Walmart<\/a> in January, and chief revenue officer (CRO), adopted by Morningstar <\/a>in late 2025.<\/p>\n

These roles won’t be CMO positions, however they usually embrace some accountability for advertising and have model and information specialists reporting into them, Sanderson noticed. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not that advertising has gone away, however slightly the set go-to-market capabilities have been restructured in a brand new manner, for instance, round a CRO,\u201d he defined.<\/p>\n

The CMO function isn\u2019t lifeless, although. Whereas some organizations, such as Unilever<\/a>, are decentralizing advertising, others, like Disney,<\/a> are doing the other and appointing their first formal CMO.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all the time fluid. The place one function is damaged up, one other is created,\u201d noticed Sanderson.<\/p>\n

3. Hiring practices differ vastly<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Monetary manufacturers want to rent externally \/ Getty<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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In Spencer Stuart\u2019s 2025 pattern, 62% of CMOs have been appointed from inside, whereas 38% have been externally employed. <\/p>\n

Of that latter group, 43% got here from a distinct trade, suggesting corporations are searching for a distinct perspective or functionality set. <\/p>\n

Some industries confirmed a extra apparent sample of hiring externally. This included monetary providers corporations, which sourced 47% of CMOs from outdoors their companies and 43% from outdoors the sector completely. Sanderson mentioned this demonstrated an elevated recognition amongst these manufacturers that advertising could possibly be a income driver, in addition to a necessity for them to strengthen their in-house growth initiatives.<\/p>\n

Quick-paced tech, telecom, and media companies have been extra prone to rent CMOs from inside their very own trade, with simply 26% of entrepreneurs employed from outdoors these companies arriving from a distinct sector.<\/p>\n

4. 2026 is about strain and alternative<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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CMOs are dealing with finances cuts in 2026 \/ Getty<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Per one other examine from Spencer Stuart, one-third of Fortune 500 corporations count on to chop prices by 20% or extra over the following two years, thanks partly to AI. <\/p>\n

This monetary strain means CMOs and their counterparts might be squeezed additional in 2026. Nevertheless, for these keen to adapt, it\u2019s additionally a second to redefine advertising management by increasing their tasks. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat is your golden age,\u201d Sanderson mentioned. \u201cRobust advertising leaders have a chance to step up and tackle a broader remit than ever earlier than.\u201d<\/p>\n

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