Over the past couple of years, there’s been a lot of attention paid to the emergence of a new position in the C-suite:  the Chief Digital Officer (CDO). As digital technology continues to advance and become ingrained in marketing strategy, the roles and responsibilities of marketing and tech are rapidly converging. Executive search firm Heidrich and Struggles reports that their clients:

• who are seeking to fill CIO/CTO positions want candidates who possess strong marketing, sales and customer service skills
• with open CMO positions want candidates who can work with their tech colleagues to fully leverage the potential of digital technology, mobile platforms and social media.

Marketing has traditionally been considered part art - branding, advertising and image building - combined with part science - market testing and segmentation combined with a range of quantitative disciplines and analytics. But the Internet changed everything, especially by bringing the voice of the customer directly into the mix. Once that happened, the CMO was tasked with:

• finding a way to engage customers among the myriad media choices available to them
• using market and customer insights to focus on a target audience
• providing targeted, customized and differentiated experiences for customers based on their input.

When "Big Data" is factored into the mix, the need for a mix of highly-skilled marketing and tech management becomes even more crucial. The convergence of marketing and tech has created new expectations and new opportunities. CMOs and CIOs/CTOs are seemingly on the fast track to fusion of these roles. The future belongs to those who seize their new hybrid roles.   Watch for Part 2 in this series:  Factors Influencing Emergence of the CDO Role