CMOs who think the industry average tenure of 28 months is woefully short might take solace that things could be worse. You could be a temp CMO.

In recent months, companies including POM Wonderful and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf have dabbled with temp marketing execs—hired guns who fill in until a permanent replacement can be found.

The shift is occurring mainly at small and midsized U.S. businesses (companies with between $250 million and $500 million in annual revenues) and reflects shallow benches in marketing departments, high turnover rates and the phenomenon of temp firms providing more “C-suite” jobs in upper management.

Temp marketing talent also provides an alternative to consultants. As Bob Van Rossum, president of MarketPro, an Atlanta  executive staffing firm put it: “Ten years ago [companies] would hire a consulting firm and pay a large amount of money,” he said, noting that such companies would then be limited by the consultancy’s pool of talent. Now, with the advent of businesses like his, “We can find and source people from all over the country” and do it at a cheaper rate, he said.

While no one keeps stats on the number of temp workers or permanent workers in marketing, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in advertising agencies declined 8.9 percent from 2008 to 2009. Although the Bureau reports the country lost 20,000 full-time jobs overall last month, temp employment grew by 52,000 jobs.
 
Relatedly, some recruiters say they’ve seen an uptick in demand for temp marketing talent. “We get lots of requests [from companies looking for] people to manage new product launches, who know how to market and monetize [in online channels], and marketing is one of those categories that’s most in demand from among our talent pool,” said Jody Miller, CEO of Business Talent Group, a Los Angeles-based organization which supplies “top business talent” to small, midsized and large companies.

Marketers, then, may be worried, but Van Rossum said this new talent force is in no way a permanent replacement for or danger to the full-time CMO. 

“What we’re seeing is the CMOs themselves are looking for interim marketing execs to come in and fill in gaps in their current team,” he said.

At the moment, however, temp CMOs or temps in comparable marketing roles appear to be exceedingly rare. 

Those CMOs who are brought in on a temp basis say the responsibilities are essentially the same, if not more time consuming, than a full-time position. There are invoices to sign, meetings to attend, staff to supervise and short- and long-term marketing strategies to craft. 

The difference is that the role lacks full-time benefits and perks, and candidates often have little—if any time—to seek out their next interim gig. Some, like Sydney Drell Reiner, a former Ghirardelli Chocolate marketing manager who later headed up international marketing at confectionary rival Godiva, earn their living as temp marketing execs.



Reiner was most recently vp-marketing for the POM Wonderful beverage company, a role she held for two months. (POM, which declined to be interviewed for this story, does not currently have a CMO.) 

“I love the challenge and the flexibility that’s inherent in this work,” Reiner said. “But there’s a bittersweet nature to what I do. I love getting to know a company and the people I’m working with, but I have a short shelf life.” Reiner said she has now agreed to another temp CMO position at a yet-unnamed company in California, where she currently lives.

For many marketers, such a hiring model—though not entirely new—is at odds with the traditional process of vetting and promoting internal candidates. Ann Dale, a former Disney vp-retail who’s held interim marketing roles at non- and for-profits and government agencies, said that the old way doesn’t take into account the varied talents needed to market today.

“What’s happening in the marketing world is that the breadth of marketing has grown so wide, that needs are changing so quickly, that if you’re a smaller company, you can’t afford to have all that expertise on staff,” she said.

Of course, ROI scrutiny and smaller budgets also play a role. Sharon Slade, who oversaw marketing and training for fashion, fine jewelry and watches for five years at Chanel, said even the bigger companies are now open to sourcing talent externally. 

Two years ago, Slade—who formerly worked as vp-marketing and strategy for St. Regis, a Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide brand—reported to both the CMO and head of R&D for a major pharmaceutical company.

During the course of her five-month role, Slade was tasked with reassessing the company’s global packaging strategies and determining how to make it more efficient.

Slade said for those who choose this career path, the rewards can outweigh the pressures and job responsibilities. “It’s a very specific, short-term engagement, and you can take more risks, be more aggressive and provide more solutions. You can also focus on accelerating what needs to be done,” she said.

Reiner agreed that being a temp marketing executive has its upsides. During her tenure at Godiva, for instance, she  oversaw the launch of Chocolixir, a frozen drink made from pieces of Godiva chocolate. The 2005 launch was a six-month process. (She managed a team across 14 countries.)

“I’ve launched way more products in these past five years than I might’ve if I’d stayed at one company during that time period,” she said, adding that there are other perks as well: “I’ve moved across the country two times in seven years, but it’s a good way to know and make contacts in different markets.”