The Trouble With C-Suite Titles

With no offense to my CMO friends out there, the corporate world has a problem with defining your role and understanding how to generate the most benefit from creating it. While valid discussions are going on in regards to the value of many of the new C-Suite titles out there over the last twenty years, I often find myself perplexed by the lack of discussion on the role of "Chief Marketing Officer" common in businesses big and small (and without a doubt, if you run across a company with a "Chief Ninja" or "Chief Customer Magic Officer", turn and head for the hills without hesitating to even receive a business card).

As a prelude to the September 22nd "Women in Innovation Summit 2012" (WINS2012), this is Part II of a 4 part series on "Women in Innovation". See Part I on "History's Hidden Women Innovators".

It's Not Easy Being Cool...

Anyone paying attention to the news this last week may have seen the blurb that some Orbitz users discovered that those among them who were Mac users were being charged higher prices than their PC-using brethren. In what can only be described as a shameless and cynical technique to exploit customers by making assumptions about their sensitivity to pricing, Orbitz has shown a special kind of disdain for its customers in an age where many of us still wrongly assume that the businesses we patronize are constantly looking for ways to keep our loyalty. Oops.