CIOs and CMOs Learn To Play Nice

Chatter about how chief information officers and chief marketing officers trying to figure out a way to work together in harmony has been circulating the information technology community for some time now. Even though this subject is nothing new, companies are still puzzled about how they can unite these two executives and ensure that they can collaborate on ongoing initiatives.Despite any back and forth about how these different branches of businesses can come together and cooperate on joint ventures, it is clear that companies have to find a solution so that they can guarantee their operations run smoothly.With the ever-changing relationship between IT and marketing, some tech professionals may feel that there are numerous gray zones popping up. These areas are ambiguous because though they involve IT, they are not strictly technical. As a result, there is some confusion as to who is allowed jurisdiction over managing and overseeing these functions.The thing is, both marketing and IT departments boast skills needed to surpass obstacles that commonly arise in these areas of uncertainty. For this reason, organizations need to encourage their CIOs and CMOs to set aside their training differences and learn to make it work.InformationWeek explained that these two powerhouses have to make an effort to break down the barriers between their departments so that they can help their businesses meet the needs of consumers.Cooperate for businesses’ sakesCMOs need to develop strong brand identities for their companies and market their products effectively to the public. However, as consumers become more and more dependent on digital, marketing teams will have to rely on the tools created by their technological counterparts. IT professionals will likewise find that the very decisions they make in terms of which solutions they want to implement depends on the needs of their marketing teams. This interdependency grows increasingly tighter as tech advancements become ever-more integrated into consumers’ lives and businesses’ operations.The sooner that CIOs and CMOs recognize that they need each other, the better. In recent years, some IT executives have been under the impression that they have to take a back seat and let the marketing pros take the wheel. However, they should pool their skills and resources so that they can complete joint projects that render the most innovative results for their organizations.Unify objectives and agree on timelinesThe news source revealed that one of the biggest issues facing this CIO-CMO collaboration is a disparity between objectives. There are significant differences between the priorities outlined by IT departments and those selected by marketing teams. While they each want to take on projects so that they can satisfy their own best interests, it would be far more helpful for them to come together and compromise on a set of cohesive goals that would benefit both of them.This same strategy applies to every aspect of the endeavors they take on, including deadlines and checkpoints along the way. By establishing a set of joint ground rules ahead of time, CIOs and CMOs can ensure that they stay on the same page and that one of them does not take matters into their own hands by commandeering a project.IT may be dangerous sans liaisonsEven though these executives are going to be working in closer quarters with each other and are going to be trying to tackle certain initiatives together, there may still be some things that are lost in translation. CMOs and CIOs can acknowledge their need to cooperate more, but this recognition does not make up for the fact that marketing professionals do not have IT skills or training and vice versa.Because of this, Fierce Content Management advised that companies contemplate creating a liaison position, such as a marketing technologist. This person will act as a go-between, serving both of the departments needs and looking out for their best interests. On top of that, he or she will have sufficient technology and marketing background knowledge to explain everything that is going on to these executives, in addition to supplying each one with advice. Overall, the marketing technologist will be a blend of both branches, guaranteeing that all of the IT and marketing needs of a business are met.