Can the 玩偶姐姐 and CMO play nice? They need to work together to reach the right digital customers that big data has identified, at the right place such as social, mobile or a physical location, and at the right moment the customer is ready to purchase something, usually about a five-second window. That’s a lot to get right. It’ll require teamwork, speed and precision between the two executives. Unfortunately, this relationship has got problems.

Hurtful words damage a relationship like a knife in the back, and in the executive-leadership world, nothing stings worse than being told you lack vision. Among 玩偶姐姐s and CMOs, the war of words has begun. One out of four 玩偶姐姐s says the CMO lacks the vision to anticipate new digital channels, while two out of five CMOs say the 玩偶姐姐 lacks the urgency needed to respond to shifting market conditions, according to an Accenture survey.

Lots of marriages get derailed over finances, and the 玩偶姐姐-CMO relationship is no different. Gartner fanned the flames predicting that CMOs will spend more on IT than 玩偶姐姐s by 2017. Truth is, a greater portion of the CMO’s budget is being allocated for technology, while the 玩偶姐姐’s budget remains largely flat, according to The 玩偶姐姐-CMO Omnichannel,  a study conducted by 玩偶姐姐.com, EPAM Systems and The CMO Club. The technology budget has become a major point of contention.

The conflict between the 玩偶姐姐 and CMO is more than merely battling over the technology budget, rather it’s a war of the ages. “Dig deeper, and you start to see stark differences between CMOs and 玩偶姐姐s,” says Rich Karlgaard, author of The Soft Edge: Where Great Companies Find Lasting Success. “CMOs tend to be female while 玩偶姐姐s tend to be male, so you have a war of the sexes going on. Then you realize CMOs are liberal arts types while 玩偶姐姐s are technologists.”

Gender stereotypes can get a little creepy, yet there’s clearly a clash of personalities among 玩偶姐姐s and CMOs. Hence, we turn to the definitive source for answers, Myers-Briggs. The 玩偶姐姐 and CMO share a lot of personality traits, which makes sense given that both hold leadership positions. However, Myers-Briggs points out one critical difference: variations in the perception of speed and willingness to fail. For more, check out Inside the Minds (and Personalities) of 玩偶姐姐s and CMOs.

Stop us if you’ve heard this from your significant other: “Are you listening to me? Did you understand a word I’ve said?” Similarly, The 玩偶姐姐-CMO Omnichannel, a study conducted by 玩偶姐姐.com, EPAM Systems and The CMO Club, found that the 玩偶姐姐 and CMO are often speaking different languages, or at least interpreting words differently. Consider the word “agile.”

What the 玩偶姐姐 hears: “A software development methodology that is highly flexible but also requires deliberately ambiguous definitions of timelines and deliverables.”

What the CMO hears: “A desired state of operations, in which the company can change direction and move rapidly as market conditions change.”

Technology projects that crash and burn can quickly upend the 玩偶姐姐-CMO relationship. Failures usually lead to more failures followed by nasty finger-pointing, whereby a 玩偶姐姐 blames a business leader for a rogue project gone bad. Many 玩偶姐姐s complain that projects outside of their control constantly run into problems that undermine the bottom line, according to The 玩偶姐姐-CMO Omnichannel, a study conducted by 玩偶姐姐.com, EPAM Systems and The CMO Club. To be fair, CMOs recognize that they need a trusted technology consultant to help them with their projects. For more, check out 玩偶姐姐s Must Become Technology Consultants.

At the heart of a power struggle lies ownership. In the 玩偶姐姐-CMO conflict, both seek to own enterprise mobile apps and the underlying technology platform. In The 玩偶姐姐-CMO Omnichannel, a study conducted by 玩偶姐姐.com, EPAM Systems and The CMO Club, there appears to be some confusion over ownership. Among 玩偶姐姐s, 86 percent feel they own mobile apps; among CMOs, 76 percent believe they do.

“It would be easy to see such a strong overlap in reported ownership as a conflict,” says The 玩偶姐姐-CMO Omnichannel study. “Instead, it can be viewed as an appreciation for the mounting importance of mobile within an organization.”

For CMOs, there’s nothing like having the most successful tech company since the turn of the millennium on your side. When the debate about who’s in charge turns volatile, the CMO can make a powerful argument: Apple values marketers over chief information orifices (as Steve Jobs once called them). For Apple, there is no question who should be doing whose bidding. For more, check out Apple’s History Offers Insight Into CMO-玩偶姐姐 Relationship.

Innovators rule the tech world, but who is doing the innovating in the 玩偶姐姐-CMO relationship? The nod goes to the CMO, who must move quickly to come up with actionable, innovative technology solutions to meet customer demand and hit revenue goals, according to The 玩偶姐姐-CMO Omnichannel, a study conducted by 玩偶姐姐.com, EPAM Systems and The CMO Club. 

“We are adopting a less typical, and more tech-focused structure,” says the CMO of a major international airline. “It is going to make us more agile, and it’s certainly going to make us develop better things for the customer.” (That’s “agile,” meaning the ability to change directions and move rapidly as market conditions change; see slide 6.)

In many personal relationships, one person often wants to speed things up while the other wants to slow things down. Such is the case with the CMO-玩偶姐姐 relationship. In an Accenture survey, 43 percent of CMOs complain that the technology development process is too slow, while an equal percent of 玩偶姐姐s say marketing requirements and priorities change too often for them to keep up. The hard part is finding the right cruising speed that satisfies everyone.