Thomas Barta: What’s the point of the CMO?

I guess it’s a new-year thing, but recently I thought about a question I’ve been toying with for a long time. Is the chief marketing officer role a good idea? Or should we accept the reality in many firms, get rid of the title and pick a term that reflects what most marketing executives are actually doing: communications?
Strong support exists for either route. I’m writing this column to invite your comments – because I’m genuinely unsure.
To structure the debate,