• by January 30, 2009

Apple has the best marketing practices of any company, according to a group that should know--the CMOs at America's top corporations.

Of 180 CMOs surveyed this fall by marketing services firm Epsilon, an overwhelming 28% named the tech giant as leading in "best practices." No other company received more than 4% of the total, with that percentage going for Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble.

Asked which companies are "moving forward" in terms of marketing, CMOs cited Apple, P&G, Bank of America and American Express; they said most companies are stagnant and lack imagination.

They do like their own companies, based on the Epsilon survey. Despite "today's culture of job-hopping and ladder climbing," America's top CMOs were found to be "surprisingly" loyal--they have spent an average eight years at their current companies and have worked for only 3.3 companies during their careers.

As for outside job-hoppers and ladder climbers trying to join their companies--and despite an increasing number of such candidates caused by recession-fueled layoffs--some 39% of the CMOs expressed dissatisfaction ("somewhat" or "very") with the quality of the new-hire talent pool.

What the CMOs seek in job candidates, Epsilon found, are creative thinkers (cited by 70% of respondents), someone who provides good leadership and inspiration (64%), the ability to complete projects efficiently (63%), forward thinking and a modern approach to business (63%) and fiscal responsibility (40%). Only 26% said they place high value on a candidate's ability to balance career and outside life.

"While hiring may be slow in 2009," Epsilon's own CMO Steve Cone said in a statement that "job seekers who combine creativity and leadership with data mining or digital experience will have ample opportunities in corporate marketing or the agency side of the business."

When it comes to their own outside agencies, the CMOs surveyed have some reservations. Only 27% said their agencies' communications have "exceeded expectations," but that topped 24% for "knowledge of my business," 23% for client services, and only 12% for ROI. However, scores were over 60% in all those categories when the criteria were lowered to "meets expectations."

Asked which marketing roles they would never outsource, 34% of the CMOs named strategy and planning services, followed by customer relationship management (31%), customer database warehouse (29%), email delivery systems (22%) and data mining (18%).

Demographically, 61% of the top CMOs were male, and when the survey was conducted in late October, most preferred Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., for president--but nearly 10% said they weren't planning to vote at all.

The survey, titled "Inside the Mind of the American CMO," was conducted for Epsilon by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Media.

Epsilon's parent company, Alliance Data Systems, will announce its 2008 earnings on Tuesday.