By The Numbers: The Forbes World’s Most Influential CMOs 2022 List

Admittedly there’s not a lot of statistical relevance in a sample size of 50, but there are some insights and facts—or at least factoids—to be gleaned from the 2022 Forbes World’s Most Influential CMOs List. We consider them in two buckets

1. The CMOs
2. The Companies they represent

---

Taking them one at a time:

1. The CMOs:

Of the 50 CMOs recognized on this year’s 10^th Anniversary list:

• 21 have made the list for the first time, 29 for at least the second.
• On average, the 50 CMOs recognized receive 100 times the media mentions and online attention compared to the universe of eligible CMOs (source: Sprinklr)
• On average, the CMOs recognized share 5.6 times as many updates and have 3.9 times as many connections as the average LinkedIn member (source: LinkedIn)
• Of the CMOs recognized, only 2 of the 50 do not have oversight of the entirety of their firm’s marketing on a global basis
• As Sprinklr’s report will go into in greater depth, amongst other data inputs and variables, CMO influence was measured across what they refer to as the “5 B’s of Influence.” They are:

• While some highly influential CMOs steward brands attracting significant online attention, CMO and brand visibility do not move in lockstep. An influential CMO can drive significant attention for their brand(s) without garnering comparable levels of attention for their own social media presence; and some of the 50 CMOs recognized are able to command significant attention, again the table stakes of influence, while leading brands with lower followings. Both types of CMO appear on this year’s list, but those CMOs who appear higher in the rankings are—typically—those who appear frequently in online coverage and conversations.
• 
  

Before moving on to the second bucket and a look at the companies represented by these 50 chief marketers, we would be remiss not to note that year over year there has been a decline in both the number of women and the number of people of color recognized on this list. It is our POV that with a sample size of only 50, this is the consequence of changes in tenure and tweaks to methodology and is not in and of itself evidence of broader trends across the industry.

---

2. The Companies They Represent:

The companies whose brands and businesses are stewarded by the CMOs recognized this year:

• Have been in business for a combined 4,045 years
• Have been in business, on average, for 80.9 years, and a median of 74 (but for mergers of old firms into new ones, the average would be older still)
• 17 of the firms , reflecting 34% of the total, are over 100 years old
• 50% of those represented are 75 years or older
• Only 8 are younger than 25 years
• The oldest company is Schneider Electric, which is 186 years old, and the youngest is Peloton Interactive, which is 10 years old

As for employees, on a consolidated basis the 50 companies represented:

• Employ over 8,100,000 people around the world
• Employ an average of 170,640 per firm; a median of 79,000
• Of these, Walmart is the largest employer amongst the 50 with approximately 2.3 million employees, representing roughly 28% of the consolidated total
• Of these, Ferrari employs the smallest number of employees, with approximately 3,100

As of June 10, 2022, the consolidated market cap of the companies represented was $7.61 TRILLION*

• The 50-company average market cap is $158.6 billion and the median: $77 billion
• Apple has the largest valuation at $2.39 trillion, reflecting 31% of the consolidated total
• Dole Sunshine Co. is the smallest at $887 million

^{* Certain assumptions and calculations were made when individual CMO brands are part of a larger holding company, as example, Gucci is at Group Kering or Cartier at Richemont.}

Across the 50 enterprises represented, the United States and Europe account for 80% of corporate headquarters. On this year’s list, there are no CMOs whose geographic remit is singularly within South America, Latin America or Africa.

• U.S.: 26
• Europe (+U.K.): 18
• Australia: 3
• Asia: 3 (China, India, Korea)
• A/O: 0
• Of the 50 companies represented, only 7 are not global/multi-national in their operations

The automotive industry, with 7 CMOs represented, has the greatest number of single-category CMOs, but technology and retail, both with broader definitions and composition, represent the two categories in which CMO influence emerges most often.

• Tech: 12
• Retail: 9 (Does not reflect the retail operations of, for example, Apple)
• Automotive: 7
• Luxury: 5