“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other word would smell as sweet.”

–From Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

A job title on the other hand is intended for a specific purpose and even the slightest difference may cause confusion. As recent reactions to my MarketingProfs post — Top 10 CMO Blogs shows, Chief Marketing Officer is definitely one such title.

The genesis of the post was Seth Godin questioning the necessity/existence of the CMO. Combining my reaction to that post with my interest in corporate blog rankings, I unearthed a set of 12 CMO blogs from among the 248 CEO blogs on the new PR Wiki. However there were a few interesting reactions to the listing itself, which I thought I should highlight. Read on…

One thing: I’m not sure I agree with you, Mario, that it’s important for all CMOs to be blogging to the degree that these guys are. So — does a CMO need his or her own blog? — Ann Handley

Ann, thanks for kick-starting an avalanche of reactions. I think CK very well summarized my beliefs regarding C-suite execs blogging:

I do think it’s important for CMOs to blog. But I do agree with Ann that commenting on others’ blogs is equally important.

#1: Gets us close to our markets: I want to see more MDs, MVPs and CMOs interacting with their markets through blogs/wikis/etc.

#2: Interacting with other marketers: Sure there’s much that can’t be discussed, but a lot can–and a rising tide lifts all boats.

#3: They are the voice of the company and to that end, they are an example. That’s not to say have a blog for the heck of it, but get out there and lead by example. — CK

Marianne from the Resonance Partnership Blog‘s comments summarized a few other opinions:

Not meaning to be cranky here,because I really find your list of CMO blogs useful and interesting, (and all of your other lists also), from a research standpoint;

BUT, I also think that lists of “top” whatevers should have some relative meaning.

If there are 12 CMO blogs, what exactly is the meaning of being in “the top 10 CMO” blogs?

Were #11 and #12 just too awful to discuss publicly?

Thanks, Marianne, for your passionate comments. I agree with you that top 10 doesn’t necessarily signify much when there are only 12 blogs, but I think their popularity can be compared with regards to their Technorati rankings. It’s also an incentive for the rest of the C-Suits to start blogging.

Actually here are the other three blogs that didn’t make the cut and they are good:

#11: With a Technorati ranking of 1.195 million each; Robert Amberg & Tiger Beaudoin.

#12: With a Technorati ranking of 1.669 million; Steen Enegaards

Let’s not forget that we’re tracking the emergence of the corporate marketing blog and things are bound to get crowded a few years from now. I assure you, the rankings will be more fun then!

Related thanks to Lewis Green, Antenno Blog, Mike Dunn, Ed Lee, Barret Niehus, Michael O’Connor Clarke, Ellen Weber, David Daniels, John Caddell, & numerous others for joining the CMO conversation.