24 Marketing: Too often a startup’s afterthought
This chapter covers
This anecdote focuses on who the chief marketing officer (CMO) is and what they do. I begin by diving into the role of marketing in any company, even an early-stage startup. Then we will walk through the evolution of the marketing function as the company evolves, perhaps growing into needing a CMO. The CMO, or VP of marketing, sits at the hub of many critical functions within the company, which makes them instrumental in defining minimum viable product (MVP), proving product-market fit (PMF), and driving the go-to-market (GTM) strategy—all activities essential to the startup’s success. And yet many tech startups forget or marginalize marketing for far too long in the startup’s evolution.