Top-Level CMOs Earn $1.5MM a Year

July 28, 2008

This article is included in these additional categories:

Retail & E-Commerce

Top CMO-level executives earned nearly $1.5 million, on average, according to an analysis of data provided to AdAge from executive-compensation research firm Equilar. AdAge selected the?top 100 companies?among those revealing CMO-level compensation.

The top 10 CMO-level execs’ pay, according to AdAge/Equilar:

adage-top-10-cmo-compensation-2007.jpg

AdAge’s analysis included the following:

  • Average total pay was $1.49 million in 2007 for top-level marketing execs:
    • Nearly a quarter ($358,000) was in the form of salary.
    • Another quarter ($360,000) was in the form of bonuses, perks and non-equity incentive pay.
    • About half ($767,000) was in the form of stock options and stock awards.
  • Total pay in 2007 was up, on average, 8.1%:
    • Salaries were up 6%.
    • Bonus, cash incentives, perks and benefits were up 3%.
    • Estimated (because they will actually vest in the future) stock options and awards were up 11.7%.
  • Average pay for CMO-level execs in the 10 largest companies was $4.8 million.
  • The marketing exec who earned the most total pay – $15.5 million – was Dell CMO Mark Jarvis. Target’s Michael Francis had the largest base salary ($710,769); Netflix’s Leslie Kilgore ($700,000) had the second-highest base.
  • Among consumer marketers, Target’s Francis ($4.6 million), Safeway’s Brian Cornell ($3.5 million), and Domino Pizza’s Ken Calwell ($3 million) were top earners; the latter two are no longer with those companies.
  • Among the?top 100 companies, the CMO-level execs of 28 of them left their positions in 2007 or 2008. (On average, CMOs in 2007 stuck around just 26.8 months, per Spencer Stuart.)
Chart-Library-Ad-1

Explore More Articles.

Which Skills Are Important in RevOps?

Which Skills Are Important in RevOps?

9 in 10 RevOps professionals view data analysis skills as being important, a high percentage also don’t believe they need this skill for their job.

Marketing Charts Logo

Stay on the cutting edge of marketing.

Sign up for our free newsletter.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This