Top Three Quotes
- “The problem with marketing isn’t the marketers—it’s that the tools used to manage the marketing function have not caught up with the incredible change that the function has seen.”
- “Execution is the single biggest weakness in marketing planning.”
- “Campaign managers used to exist in marketing teams… the role has been sidelined, but we believe it’s time for marketing campaign management to make a comeback.”
Book Theme
The Next CMO book is a guide to mastering operational marketing excellence—helping CMOs and marketing teams execute smarter and align every action to business outcomes.
Why You Should Read This Book
- To improve your ability to lead marketing through planning, budgeting, and communication.
- To benchmark your team’s operational effectiveness using the Operational Marketing Index.
- To turn strategy into action with frameworks and templates that are immediately usable.
Key Ideas and Arguments Presented
- CMOs fail more from execution gaps than bad strategy.
- Operational discipline is a differentiator in high-performing teams.
- Budget mismanagement leads to chronic underspend.
- Goals-based planning aligns marketing with business value.
- Campaign managers are key to cross-functional success and strategic execution.
- Teams must embrace agile planning in a volatile landscape.
- Use marketing ROI to tell a whole-plan story, not just the highlights.
- A strong culture of operational excellence encourages truth-seeking, not cherry-picking.
Book Outline
- 1. The Problem with Operational Marketing Leadership
- 2. The Impact of Ineffective Marketing Execution
- 3. Elements of Operational Marketing Excellence
- 4. Marketing DNA: Stakeholders and Culture
- 5. Building a Winning Marketing Plan
- 6. Goals-Based Marketing
- 7. Strategy Development
- 8. Redefining Campaigns
- 9. Managing the Budget
- 10. The New ROI
- 11. Reporting to the Board
- 12. The Operational Marketing Index
Key Takeaways
- Execution is the missing link in most marketing failures.
- Planning must be connected to strategy, budget, and goals.
- Operational frameworks drive better agility and clarity.
Key Techniques
- Marketing Plan Framework (MPF)
- Goals Pyramid
- Operational Marketing Index
- ROI Storytelling via RoMP
- Campaign Execution Template
Author’s Qualifications
Mahoney, Todaro, and Faulkner bring 70+ years of combined experience in marketing, tech, and executive leadership, including founding Plannuh and leading at Nuance Communications.
Comparison to Similar Books
More operational than Seth Godin’s philosophy, more strategic than Donald Miller’s frameworks, and focused entirely on marketing unlike John Doerr’s general OKRs.
Target Audience
- CMOs and aspiring marketing leaders
- Marketing operations professionals
- Startup founders handling marketing
- Agencies wanting to up-level strategy
- Marketing students and educators
Critical Response to the Book
The book’s first edition earned strong praise and adoption from the marketing community, prompting a deeper second edition filled with frameworks, benchmarks, and tools.
One Sentence Takeaway
Operational execution—not strategy alone—is what separates the next generation of successful CMOs.