‍

By: Coralie D

CMOs have never been under such scrutiny. They sit on executive committees, manage substantial budgets, drive growth, and must demonstrate — with pedagogy and precise data — the business impact of their actions. Long seen as mere product or offer developers, they are now expected to act as true strategists and direct business generators. This recognition is welcome, but it comes at a cost: time — that increasingly scarce resource.

Governance meetings, budget arbitrations, financial reporting, strategic committees… CMOs’ daily routines are overwhelmed by management tasks. Add to that the multiplication of channels and campaigns, the explosion of touchpoints, the constant updates from Google, Meta, or TikTok, not to mention ever-evolving regulations. The result: marketing departments spend their days chasing operational emergencies.

In this whirlwind, there’s no room left for what truly matters: taking a step back, refining personas, meeting customers, analysing data, studying competitors, or exploring new creative avenues — all essential tasks to give depth and vision to marketing strategy.

Time is often described as a luxury, but that’s a mistake. In marketing, time is a prerequisite. Without time to think, analyse, and arbitrate, marketing becomes a chain of tactical actions disconnected from any long-term vision. You can generate clicks, optimise campaigns, multiply posts… but without perspective, those actions lose their impact and end up exhausting teams.

A CMO’s role isn’t just to deliver immediate results — it’s to create the conditions for sustainable performance. And that requires time, just like budgets or talent. It’s not only about “saving time” through automation. It’s about reclaiming time — time to step back, question the strategy, and anticipate market shifts. That distinction is crucial. Saving time frees up a few hours; reclaiming time restores the ability to act.

The best CMOs are those who manage to protect that strategic time — not by isolating themselves from day-to-day operations, but by surrounding themselves smartly, delegating the tasks that pull them away from their core mission, and accepting they can’t carry everything alone.

Marketing is finally recognized as a central growth driver. But like any CEO or political leader, a CMO cannot shoulder everything alone. CEOs rely on strategy firms, political leaders have chiefs of staff — CMOs too must learn to lean on sparring partners. By sharing the load and relying on experts who can challenge and enrich their thinking, they can reclaim the vital time they need to fully play their role as strategists.

‍