Marketing consultant to chief marketing officer
A marketing consultant already meets 52% of what the chief marketing officer role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
55.5/ 100
1 How much of what a chief marketing officer is expected to do is already part of a marketing consultant’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the chief marketing officer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A chief marketing officer role treats 14 of its required skills as things a marketing consultant already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse external factors of companies
- analyse internal factors of companies
- brand marketing techniques
- evaluate marketing content
- identify potential markets for companies
- integrate marketing strategies with the global strategy
What stands in the way is 12 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 32 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A chief marketing officer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a marketing consultant background worth leading with.
- already held use theoretical marketing models management skills
- already held neuromarketing techniques business, administration and law
- already held conduct online competitive analysis management skills
- already held online ads campaign techniques business, administration and law
- already held web strategy assessment business, administration and law
- already held evaluate marketing content information skills
All 32 carried skills, including the 14 the chief marketing officer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 31 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn analyse consumer buying trends required
- still to learn analyse work-related written reports required
- still to learn make data-driven decisions required
- still to learn study sales levels of products required
- still to learn track key performance indicators required
- optional, not held analyse supply chain strategies optional
- still to learn create annual marketing budget required
- still to learn define measurable marketing objectives required
- still to learn manage profitability required
- optional, not held develop public relations strategies optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held manage yield optional
- still to learn business management principles required
- still to learn content marketing strategy required
- optional, not held consumer law optional
- optional, not held customer segmentation optional
- optional, not held market entry strategies optional
- optional, not held quality assurance methodologies optional
- optional, not held subsidiary operations optional
- optional, not held trading law optional
- still to learn align efforts towards business development required
- still to learn liaise with managers required
- optional, not held communicate with customer service department optional
- optional, not held prospect new customers optional
- optional, not held impart business plans to collaborators optional
- optional, not held implement marketing strategies optional
- optional, not held manage development of promotional material optional
- optional, not held graphic design optional
- optional, not held printing techniques optional
- optional, not held statistics optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a chief marketing officer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 align efforts towards business development practise this
- 02 analyse consumer buying trends practise this
- 03 analyse work-related written reports practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 32 skills that carry over
- already held analyse external factors of companies skill
- already held analyse internal factors of companies skill
- already held brand marketing techniques knowledge
- already held evaluate marketing content skill
- already held identify potential markets for companies skill
- already held integrate marketing strategies with the global strategy skill
- already held interpret financial statements skill
- already held market analysis knowledge
- already held market pricing knowledge
- already held marketing mix knowledge
- already held plan marketing campaigns skill
- already held plan marketing strategy skill
- already held services marketing knowledge
- already held use analytics for commercial purposes skill
- already held conduct online competitive analysis skill
- already held coordinate marketing plan actions skill
- already held customer insight knowledge
- already held e-commerce systems knowledge
- already held financial capability knowledge
- already held international trade knowledge
- already held liaise with advertising agencies skill
- already held marketing analytics knowledge
- already held neuromarketing techniques knowledge
- already held online ads campaign techniques knowledge
- already held perform market research skill
- already held plan social media marketing campaigns skill
- already held project management knowledge
- already held relationship marketing knowledge
- already held reputation management knowledge
- already held social media marketing techniques knowledge
- already held use theoretical marketing models skill
- already held web strategy assessment knowledge
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held trendwatching optional
19 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held communicate with customer service department optional
- optional, not held prospect new customers optional
- optional, not held analyse supply chain strategies optional
- optional, not held consumer law optional
- optional, not held customer segmentation optional
- optional, not held develop public relations strategies optional
- optional, not held graphic design optional
- optional, not held impart business plans to collaborators optional
- optional, not held implement marketing strategies optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held manage development of promotional material optional
- optional, not held manage yield optional
- optional, not held market entry strategies optional
- optional, not held printing techniques optional
- optional, not held quality assurance methodologies optional
- optional, not held statistics optional
- optional, not held subsidiary operations optional
- optional, not held trading law optional
- optional, not held trendwatching optional
26 held skills the chief marketing officer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advertising techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role carry out strategic research skill
- not needed by the target role channel marketing knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct research interview skill
- not needed by the target role conduct search engine optimisation skill
- not needed by the target role copyright legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role creatively use digital technologies skill
- not needed by the target role customer service knowledge
- not needed by the target role define technical requirements skill
- not needed by the target role develop creative ideas skill
- not needed by the target role digital marketing techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role document project progress skill
- not needed by the target role identify customer requirements skill
- not needed by the target role identify market niches skill
- not needed by the target role issue sales invoices skill
- not needed by the target role maintain relationship with customers skill
- not needed by the target role make strategic business decisions skill
- not needed by the target role management consulting knowledge
- not needed by the target role marketing principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role plan digital marketing skill
- not needed by the target role pricing strategies knowledge
- not needed by the target role respond to enquiries skill
- not needed by the target role sales strategies knowledge
- not needed by the target role social media management knowledge
- not needed by the target role use consulting techniques skill
- not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
12 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn business management principles required
- still to learn content marketing strategy required
- optional, not held consumer law optional
- optional, not held customer segmentation optional
- optional, not held graphic design optional
- optional, not held market entry strategies optional
- optional, not held printing techniques optional
- optional, not held quality assurance methodologies optional
- optional, not held statistics optional
- optional, not held subsidiary operations optional
- optional, not held trading law optional
- optional, not held trendwatching optional
Common questions about this move
Can a marketing consultant become a chief marketing officer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A marketing consultant already covers 52% of what a chief marketing officer is expected to do: 32 skills carry over, 14 of which the chief marketing officer role treats as required.
What skills does a marketing consultant need to become a chief marketing officer?
12 required skills are missing, plus 19 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is align efforts towards business development.
How hard is the move from marketing consultant to chief marketing officer?
Its learning distance is 55.5 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.