Data was once the domain of tech geeks and direct-marketing gurus, while chief marketing officers focused on loftier things like shaping brand perception. But those days are over. A study from tech-research firm Gartner projects that by 2017 the CMO will spend more money on information technology than the chief information officer. Thanks to an explosion of data from social-media platforms, call centers, transactions, loyalty programs, registries and more, CMOs who want a seat at the table will have to harness customer data and leverage it--or risk being relegated to chief promotions officer.
