Knowledge structure of Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs): A review, bibliometric analysis, and research agenda

Abstract

Research on Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) has flourished in the last two decades. Nevertheless, despite significant interest among marketing academics and professionals, a comprehensive understanding of knowledge structure or of what the future holds for research remains lacking. In response, this paper aims to summarize CMO research’s current knowledge structure, understand the literature’s knowledge gaps, and identify critical future research avenues. An overview of paradoxical findings sets out the key issues, before a bibliometric analysis of 55 business- and management-related research articles is deployed to reveal a range of intellectual influences that have helped shape perspectives, identifying five meaningful clusters of knowledge. Related research within each cluster is then evaluated, and empirical findings discussed, alongside theoretical and conceptual development. Blind spots in CMO literature are also highlighted, and key directions are proposed for advancing research. The findings and future research avenues may help to further strengthen CMOs’ C-suite relevance.