The CMO is the New COO, and Most People Aren’t Ready for It

Okay, so here’s the thing nobody really talks about over coffee: your Chief Marketing Officer is basically running your operations now. Yeah, you heard that right. The CMO is the new COO, and oh boy, most companies haven’t fully caught on.

I mean, it kinda makes sense when you think about it. Marketing isn’t just about clever slogans or viral TikToks anymore. It’s about customer experience, supply chains, product launches, pricing, and how the business actually runs day to day. The CMO is deep in all of it now, almost like the CEO’s right-hand person.

The marketing, operations love story no one saw coming

Remember when marketing was mostly about ads and brand colors? Yeah, those days are long gone. Today’s CMO manages the full funnel, from awareness to net revenue. They’re measuring customer lifetime value, optimizing fulfillment, and even tweaking logistics because nothing kills a brand faster than delayed deliveries.

So, the CMO’s role expanded quietly but drastically. They’re now responsible for demand generation, retention strategies, product-market fit, and yes, the dreaded spreadsheets, too.

Spoiler alert: Most CMOs didn’t sign up for this

Here’s the reality check. Not every marketing leader is equipped or excited to take on COO-like duties. Many got their start in creative roles. They dreamt of brainstorming big ideas, not juggling budgets, operations bottlenecks, and supply chain headaches.

And that’s why so many companies struggle when marketing and operations collide. CMOs end up buried in processes instead of creativity, and meanwhile, COOs can feel out of the loop on customer trends. Unless these roles truly collaborate, things get messy fast.

What companies miss in this shift

The biggest mistake is thinking marketing can stay in its silo. Spoiler, it can’t. The modern customer journey is a tangled, multi-channel web where every touchpoint counts.

If your brand promises speed but your delivery takes weeks, guess who gets blamed? Your marketing team, even if logistics is the cause.

Behind the scenes, CMOs are often pushing cross-functional alignment, trying to get product, sales, and operations all singing from the same hymn sheet. Because without that, the brand message feels hollow.

So, what do you do?

First, acknowledge the new reality: CMOs are driving operational excellence, too.

Second, give your CMOs the tools, data, and authority to make decisions beyond just ads and campaigns. They need to sit at the executive table where the tough operational calls happen.

Third, foster collaboration. Bring your marketing and operations teams together early in product planning, forecasting, and customer experience design. Break those traditional silos.

Honestly, if your company isn’t ready for this shift yet, it’s okay. Change is messy and slow. But ignoring it means missing out on one of the biggest competitive advantages, true alignment between brand promise and business delivery.

Want to future-proof your business? Start treating your CMO like the powerhouse COO they’ve quietly become.

Oh, and maybe buy them a coffee. They probably deserve it.

Regards,
Rupesh Sanghavi