The CMO role has also been in jeopardy in many other industries as Johnson & Johnson, General Mills, and Uber are just a few of the companies that have eliminated or combined the role with another executive role. There has been a push in recent years to decentralize the role, but decentralizing the CMO role does not work as well in some industries as it does in others.
With large conglomerates that sell in different industries, a decentralized marketing lead may make sense. For big banks such as Wells Fargo, it may not make as much sense, according to some observers. One expert quoted in the article notes that, in such cases, the “brand is inseparable from the customer experience” and that the CMO role should continue not matter what the firm calls it.
The article also cautions against dumping the marketing strategy onto another executive that already has other responsibilities.