Professional Documents
Culture Documents
CHIEF MARKETING
TECHNOLOGIST
SHELDON MONTEIRO, HILDING ANDERSON & SCOTT TANG
1
Scott Brinker and Laura McLellan. The Rise of the
Chief Marketing Technologist. Harvard Business Review.
July, 2014.
2
Gartner. How the Presence of a Chief Marketing
Technologist Impacts Marketing. https://www.gartner.
com/doc/ 2652017/presence-chief-marketingtechnologist-impacts.
RESEARCH
Marketing
technologists
cluster into
six distinct
archetypes
Despite the excitement around marketing technology and the CMT role, the
ambiguity as to who these individuals
are, the skills they possess, and where
they sit organizationally has led to considerable confusion. And the confusion
results in two related issues. One,
executives need better clarity regarding
how they can identify, recruit, bring
on board, and retain these talented
individuals. Second, aspiring marketing technologists have no guidelines
against which to benchmark and level
up their own skills.
To help us shed more light on these
issues, SapientNitro partnered with
Scott Brinker, the host of the MarTech
conference and popular chiefmartec.
com blog to conduct a first-of-its-kind
study of marketing technologists skills,
career paths, attitudes, and behaviors.3
For the first time, we have been able to
x-ray the professional marketing technologist. And the results are striking.
Todays marketing technologists cluster
into six distinct archetypes, and they
are not equivalent or interchangeable.
Of the six archetypes, three are focused
on technology and three are focused on
marketing (see Figure 1). Respondents
self-identified skills fell into distinct
clusters, revealing the archetypes.
FIGURE01
Divas are skilled in marketing operations management, customer relationship management (CRM), data
science, analytics, and modeling. They
know how to acquire, integrate, and
make data perform.
INFRASTRUCTURE
ARCHITECTS (16%)
Enterprise-level technology chops
define this archetype, but they are
also business consultants and bring a
high-level understanding of a companys marketing initiatives.
3
We asked the community of marketing technologists recruited from the MarTech 2014 fall conference and Scott
Brinkers popular chiefmartec.com blog to help us document this group. We contracted an independent market
research firm Decision Analyst to execute the survey. Our study had 280 respondents, and took place from
August 15th, 2014 to September 8th, 2014. (For more details, see About the Survey at the end of the article.)
RESEARCH
52% Marketing
10% Media & Marketing Analyzers
16% Content Curators
26% Marketing Mavens
48% Technology
17% Data Divas
16% Infrastructure Architects
15% Experience Engineers
RESEARCH
The emergence of
these archetypes
may represent
specialization
within the
profession...
however, we
doubt it.
RESEARCH
FIGURE02
Marketing
Skills
Technology
Skills
Business
Skills
RESEARCH
Marketing
Strategy and
Positioning
11.8
Website
Testing and
Optimization
20.5
Marketing
Operations
Management
20.4
The Ability to
Persuade and
Negotiate
17.0
Marketing
Channel
Strategy and
Connections
Planning
A Marketing Expert
A Business Consultant
A Customer Experience Specialist
An Entrepreneur
A CRM Expert
Marketing
Operations
Management
16.8
Data
Management
Software and
Systems
34.0
Customer
Relationship
Management
(CRM) Systems
and Platforms
31.7
Data Science,
Analytics,
Statistics, and
Modeling
17.4
Marketing Strategy
and Positioning
A Marketing Expert
A Database Marketing Specialist
A Business Consultant
A Systems Integrator
A Data Scientist, Statistician, Analyst
A CRM Expert
A Customer Experience Specialist
Content Creation,
Copywriting,
and Content
Optimization
21.6
Website
Testing and
Optimization
39.8
Marketing
Strategy and
Positioning
24.6
Content
Management
and Digital Asset
Management
Systems
17.2
Website Design,
Including
Responsive and
Adaptive Design
16.0
The Ability to
Persuade and
Negotiate
23.4
Marketing
Channel Strategy
and Connections
Planning
RESEARCH
A Marketing Expert
A Content Management Expert
A Writer or Content Creator
A Business Consultant
A Customer Experience Specialist
THE INFRASTRUCTURE
ARCHITECTS (16%)
This is a classically trained cohort
of technologists, with expertise in
developing enterprise marketing
platforms. With a deep understanding of technology architecture and
selection, software development, and
content and digital asset management
platforms, they describe themselves as
the IT specialists, systems integrators,
and business consultants that deploy
marketing technology at scale within
an enterprise.
Enterprise
Architecture,
Tech Selection,
and Lifecycle
Management
31.6
11.4
Front-end
Technologies
(e.g., HTML5,
Javascript, and
CSS)
9.0
Software
Design,
Programming,
and Coding
Content
Management
and Digital Asset
Management
Systems
23.3
Visual Display
of Data Iincluding
Infographics and
Dashboards
THE EXPERIENCE
ENGINEERS (15%)
This group pushes boundaries at the
intersection of technology and experience. They have remarkable proficiencies in the technologies (e-commerce,
front-end, and mobility) that directly
touch the customer experience.
17.1
Software
Development
Operations and
IT Operations
E-commerce
Technologies
and Platforms
29.8
Front-end
Technologies
(e.g., HTML5,
Javascript,
and CSS)
21.5
Software
Design,
Programming,
and Coding
17.0
Website
Design Including
Responsive and
Adaptive Design
13.6
Content
Management
and Digital Asset
Management
Systems
12.9
Design and
Development
of Mobile Apps
and Platforms
17.0
GIS,
Geomapping,
and Geotargeting
RESEARCH
39.0%
A Systems Integrator
A Business Consultant
39.0%
31.7%
An Entrepreneur
31.7%
Marketing
Research,
Consumer
Insights, and
Competitive
Intelligence
13.5
Marketing
Channel
Strategy and
Connections
Planning
47.3
Marketing
Strategy and
Positioning
24.1
Advertising
and Marketing
Communication
Development
16.6
Market
Segmentation
and
Psychographics
RESEARCH
A Marketing Expert
An Advertising Expert
A Business Consultant
An Entrepreneur
A Customer Experience Specialist
MARKETING ARCHETYPES
(52% OF RESPONDENTS)
Marketing-oriented archetypes tend
to be self-taught in technology, have
RESEARCH
TECHNOLOGY ARCHETYPES
(48% OF RESPONDENTS)
Technology archetypes are younger, are
more likely to have STEM degrees, and
are more likely to report to non-marketing
leaders (e.g., the CEO, CIO, or others).
A full 55 percent of the three technology archetypes reported that they are
the CMT, a moniker roughly equivalent
to the Chief Marketing Technology
Officer (CMTO). In contrast, only 35
percent a full twenty percentage
point change of the three marketing
archetypes report themselves to be the
Chief Marketing Technologist.
Our hypothesis is that todays technology archetypes (Data Divas, Infrastructure Architects, and Experience
Engineers) possess more of the skills
needed to align the marketing team,
technology vendors, service providers,
and corporate IT. Our recommendation
for brands? Evaluate your CMTs ability
to be the glue between these teams,
including his/her ability to represent the
interests, viewpoints, and concerns of
the different stakeholders without bias,
to see the big picture while not missing
key details, and to show his/her gravitas as a cross-functional leader.
FIGURE03
17%
Data
Divas
16%
Infrastructure
Architects
15%
Experience
Engineers
Marketing
52%
26%
Marketing
Mavens
16%
Content
Curators
10%
Media & Marketing
Analyzers
FIGURE04
CMT
55.9%
CMO
Director/VP/Manager of Digital Marketing
Marketing Manager/Director/VP/Manager of
Marketing Technology
Overall
48.9%
Business Title
CMT
16.5%
CGO/CSO/Director/VP/Manager of Strategy
Project Manager/Account Manager/Director/
VP/Manager of Business, Product, or Application Development/Strategist
Overall
23.2%
Technology Title
CMT
18%
CTO/CIO/Director/VP/Manager of IT
Director of Market Automation
Director of CRM
Director of Analytics
Market Automation Specialist
Overall
16.8%
CMT
11%
Marketing Technologist
Marketing Technology Consultant
Marketing Technology Manager
Overall
7.1%
0
RESEARCH
10
20
30
40
50
60
RESEARCH
However, we are concerned that preparation in computer science fundamentals, systems and algorithmic thinking,
statistics, and data science are hard
to pick up on the job absent curricula,
coaching, and skill roadmaps for which
there is no industry consensus. The
marketing technologist is, by its very
moniker, a technical and marketing
role, and those recruiting or planning
their own careers must have a strong
grounding in the fundamentals of both.
We recommend that both brands
looking for CMTs and aspiring CMTs
themselves evaluate their skills across
the archetypes to understand existing
gaps, and then create development
plans or source additional talent to fill
those gaps.
FIGURE05
Undergraduate
Business or Business
Administration
14%
Marketing
11%
Communications
Computer Science
Information Technology
Science or Math
Social Sciences
10
16%
8%
12%
9
41%
9%
Engineering
14%
3
%
%
%
31%
Graduate
5%
11%
46.9%
Technical/Programming
Background
01
02
Business/Management
Background
Business/management was
also a popular job category,
and we observed prior general
management roles described as
consulting, managing teams, and
project management.
37.3%
04
05
02
14.5%
03
14.1%
IT/Tech Background
04
4.6%
E-commerce
05
3.7%
06
2.9%
Background in MobilePlatforms/Apps
06
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
01
Marketing/Communications Background
While marketing background/
marketing manager/marketing
is the single most common
(historic) role for marketing
technologists, the marketing/
communications category as a
whole ranked below technologyfocused prior roles.
20.7%
03
Technology/programming is the
dominant background for marketing technologists. Specifically,
we found focus areas in web/CRM
platforms, web development, and
general IT/technology.
39%
01
02
01
10.4%
02
9.1%
03
9.1%
Account/Project Management
04
8.3%
Sales/Lead Generation
05
7.5%
06
5.4%
07
4.1%
01
02
03
4.6%
04
3.7%
05
3.3%
03
04
05
We asked respondents How did you transition into the marketing technologist role? That is, what were your job responsibilities and role before your current marketing technologist role?
RESEARCH
RESEARCH
FIGURE06
FIGURE07
0.6
0.5
0.4
Loyalty Programs
0.4
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.1
RESEARCH
FIGURE08
62.1%
Target Market
Identification
44.3%
43.9%
43.9%
42.9%
0
20
40
60
80
FIGURE09
GAP
STRENGTH OF
TODAYS SKILLS6
-20
22
Customer Relationship
Management (CRM)
Systems and Platforms
-7
10
-6
12
-27
34
Market Segmentation
and Psychographics
-8
17
JOB SKILLS
RESEARCH
Participants select a topic and then design, plan, and complete this work with
the assistance of internal and external
advisors, including several industry
luminaries. Each student is required to
present in public at a conference held
during the final intensive.
This program also imparts the tools to
ensure that the graduates continue to
stay on top of whats next a critical
skill in the digital world as many marketing technologies become obsolete and
new ones rise in importance. Our clients
reap the benefits through the work we
produce, and our participants see the
impact of their collective transformation
throughout the program, both in the
curriculum and on client work.
FIGURE10
Program Schedule
The CMTOu is a year-long, internal leadership development program. The curriculum
includes four intensive workshops, conducted in different SapientNitro locations
around the globe, with interim periods between the workshops.
CHICAGO
ATLANTA
LONDON
INDIA
Marketing Fundamentals
for a Digital World
Group Dynamics
Influence Skills
Conference Thought
Leadership Presentations
Evangelizing the CMTO Role
OCT
FIRST INTERIM
JAN
SECOND INTERIM
APR
THIRD INTERIM
JUL
FOURTH INTERIM
Independent Study
Work Emotional Intelligence
Marketing Theory
RESEARCH
Conclusion
The rise of the Chief Marketing
Technologist is bridging the worlds of
marketing and IT. In these data, we see
a new picture emerging of the marketing technologist. This first-ever analysis
of the professional population gives
us a remarkable view of six discrete
archetypes, their skills, and where in
the organization they sit. Importantly,
we have a clear view of the skills and
attitudinal gaps which employers must
recognize when hiring and that the
profession (and, ultimately, academia)
must address.
We can logically infer from the data that
marketing technologists are cultivating
their skills on the job. Thats great news.
But, it should be deeply concerning to
both marketing technologists and the
brands that rely on them that the largest
skill gaps are in areas of significant
opportunity (e.g., targeting, CRM, and
data) and high risk (e.g., information
security, performance, and resiliency).
RESEARCH
Sheldon Monteiro
Global Chief Technology Officer,
SapientNitro Chicago
smonteiro@sapient.com
Sheldon leads global technology capabilities, engineering,
quality, methods, devops, and tools. He sponsors and is a
senior faculty member at SapientNitros CMTO University,
an in-house executive development program to grow
SapientNitros marketing technologists.
Hilding Anderson
Director Research & Insights,
SapientNitro Washington, D.C.
handerson@sapient.com
Hilding is the Editor-in-Chief of Insights 2015, and a Director of Research and Insights at SapientNitro. He helps
set the thought leadership agenda across the agency, and
advises global clients on emerging trends.
Scott Tang
Head of Global Consumer & Industry Research,
SapientNitro Chicago
stang@sapient.com
Scott leads a team of researchers that supports SapientNitro
worldwide through secondary and quantitative analysis on
topics regarding consumers, industries, and all things digital.
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