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supporting the finance function with reliable
analytics and secure, easily recoverable data
will also help foster a relationship of trust
between the CIO and the CFO.
Working with Chief Marketing
Officers (CMOs)
Digital technologies, social media and
marketing automation have transformed
the marketing function, and CMOs are
increasingly tech-savvy.
So how can CIOs work with CMOs to develop
a coherent marketing technology strategy?
Firstly, CIOs need to emulate their
marketing counterparts and become
not just customer-centric, but customer-
obsessed. Today’s customers want
tailored, personalised interactions, but
to do this effectively, you really need to
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become obsessive about knowing as much
as possible about the customer. CMOs
know they need to be able to analyse and
understand customer data to get the insights
that will help them engage customers more
effectively, predict future buying behaviour,
and develop the products and services that
customers really want. IT can help them
achieve these goals, but it will help achieve
them a lot faster if marketing solutions are
integrated into a holistic, enterprise-wide
technology strategy.
The CIO needs to work alongside the CMO
for other reasons, too. For example, IT is
responsible for building and maintaining the
public face of the business – its website and
social media presence – so close collaboration
between IT and marketing is essential. IT
must also ensure that sensitive customer data
is secure, accessed only by the right people
and recoverable in the event of a disaster.
FEATURE: STATE OF THE CIO
There’s a deep and growing connection
between marketing and IT, which means
the CIO and CMO must work closely
together to create a responsive, secure
platform for acquiring and retaining
more customers.
Next steps
If CIOs are to take their seat in the
boardroom and become a central part of
developing and delivering business strategy,
their role must evolve. They must take the
time to understand the challenges their
CXO colleagues face and collaborate with
them to deliver the results needed – both
by individual business functions and by the
enterprise as a whole. And once strategies
are defined and plans put into action, it’s
vital that whatever IT solutions you invest
in are constantly available and that data is
recoverable within minutes. n
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