• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, June 13, 2007

So it isn't exactly job security. But a study by executive recruiter Spencer Stuart shows that the average chief marketing officer at big companies isn't managing to hang on to the job for just over two years. The study, which tracks CMOs at 100 leading consumer companies, found that the average tenure for CMOs today is 26.8 months--compared to 23.2 months in 2006, 23.5 months in 2005 and 23.6 in 2004.

Still, maybe the title should be changed to "chief get-me-outta-here officer:" Less than one-third of the CMOs have had their jobs for three years or more. And 16% of the companies have a CMO position that is either vacant or there is no such role in the organization. So while CMOs do seem to be staying out a little longer, "there are twice as many vacancies in the top marketing role as there were last year," the recruiting firm says.

Although it may seem that many high-profile personnel changes recently have involved women--Julie Roehm, Jerri DeVard, Mary Minnick --Greg Welch, global practice leader for Spencer Stuart's Consumer Goods & Services Practice, says that rapid turnover among CMOs is "an equal opportunity killer and does not appear to gravitate to one gender versus the other. He cites Bill Pearce, Marc Lefar and Javier Benito as examples.

"We believe that the bar for success in the CMO ranks continues to escalate in general," he tells Marketing Daily, "and we are, in fact, pleased to see many recently appointed females who are thriving in these roles." He cites as examples Mary Dillon at McDonald's, Mary Miller at PetSmart and Kathryn Olson at Shutterfly.

One of the characteristics cited by Spencer Stuart as part of a CMO's skill set list is "team player." Welch says "most wise CMOs typically choose to take on a lower profile these days" as opposed to an era that saw "rock stars" at the helm.

"The top leaders that we know are charismatic executives who are serious about empowering--and then give credit--to their team," he says. "Those executives who work well across their organization, truly partnering with functions like IT and Finance, demonstrate the 'Team Player' characteristic that we seek."

The study chalks the high turnover up to "very real pressure for CMOs to quickly and measurably deliver brand results." Among the companies making changes in recent months: Macy's, Wal-Mart, Volkswagen, Chrysler, Verizon, Sears, and Safeway.

Spencer Stuart says the CMOs who are thriving in the current marketplace have the following 10 skills:

• Customer Orientation
• Global Perspective
• Influence & Impact
• Hands on Leadership
• Creates and Manages Change
• Results Focused
• Risk Taking
• Strategic Thinker
• Team Player
• Technical Expertise