Top 7 CMO Communities You Should Join Right Now
CMOs have a broad, ever-changing purview.
They’re expected to know something about everything. To magically generate demand with a limited budget. To convince the C-Suite that marketing actually works (especially when it comes to that dirty word, “brand”). Tack on a limited number of hours in the day to lead, cajole, and negotiate in isolation and at hyper-speed, and you’ve got yourself a pile of challenges no one would envy.
Fortunately, CMOs don’t have to go it alone. Below, find the top 7 CMO communities that we recommend for marketing execs looking to problem-solve with peers in a safe space.
- CMO Huddles for B2B CMO Strategy
- 6sense Coffee Talk for Weekly Strategy Sessions
- Chief for Women in Leadership
- Exit Five for Marketing Career Growth
- Pavilion for Growth Marketing Career Advice
- Marketers That Matter for Exploring New Leadership Models
- Club CMO, Formerly The CMO Club for Networking and Events
1. CMO Huddles
Best Community for B2B CMO Strategy
“Inspiring B2B greatness.”
Website: https://cmohuddles.com/
Who can join: B2B CMOs / executive-level heads of marketing at companies with over 35 employees can join the Huddles Leader program. B2B marketers of other levels are welcome to join Huddles Insider or Starter programs.
How to Join? Apply on their Website.
Features:
- Monthly “Huddles” (moderated peer discussions, expert Q&As, in-person meet-ups)
- Pithy Weekly Recaps
- Exclusive Slack Channel Access
- 1:1 Peer Matching
- PR opportunities
Membership fees? Monthly, Annual, and Free Plans.
About: Founded in 2020, CMO Huddles is the only marketing community dedicated to efficiently inspiring B2B greatness.
Ask a B2B CMO their biggest challenge and they’ll tell you, TIME. Knowing this, every aspect of CMO Huddles is designed to save CMOs time, to help them make faster, better, and more informed decisions. From peer-to-peer Huddles to an always-on Slack channel to arranged 1:1s to pithy weekly recaps, CMO Huddles brings together and empowers B2B marketing leaders to share, care and dare each other to greatness.
At the core, Huddles are expertly moderated conversations on today’s most pressing topics with a small group of peers. Part workshop, part therapy session, Huddles are unique thanks to the no-holds-barred sharing by the Huddler community and the deft guidance of acclaimed B2B expert Drew Neisser. The author of two well-respected books, and over 600 CMO interviews, Drew also ensures the conversations stay on point and that the recaps always deliver inspiration.
There are also exclusive PR opportunities including the wildly popular Tuesday Tip videos which are recorded at the end of each Peer Huddle and CMO Huddles Studio, a special live-streaming show. Both of these properties are ultimately turned into episodes of Renegade Marketers Unite, the top-rated podcast for B2B CMOs. If building your personal brand is important to you (and it should be), CMO Huddles can definitely help.
This relatively young community has grown to 175+ active members (affectionately known as “Huddlers”) and is welcoming more perpetually curious marketers every day.
As of June 2023, CMO Huddles opened its doors to B2B marketers of other levels, expanding its services to include 3 membership tiers: Leader, Insider, and Starter. In addition, CMO Huddles now supports B2B referral partners as well as continuing its program for CMOs in transition. Apply for membership at CMOHuddles.com.
2. 6sense Coffee Talk
Best Community for Weekly Strategy Sessions
“Coffee. Connection. Community.”
Website: https://6sense.com/cmo-coffee-talk/
Who can join: B2B CMOs or heads of marketing.
How to Join? Register on their website.
Features:
- Virtual meetings every Friday at 8 AM ET or PT
- A resource library including crowd-sourced content from 2000+ CMOs
Membership Fees? Free
About: Coffee Talk is a community that helps you connect with other CMOs weekly through a marketing live stream. The community serves as a place where top minds within the industry come together to discuss current trends in marketing, business growth strategies, product development, and more. You can register to join the virtual meeting every Friday at 8 AM ET (New York) or 8 AM PT (San Francisco).
Coffee Talk runs live every week but if there isn’t an event happening during your preferred time zone then don’t worry! There are plenty of resources available online through their blog posts or videos featuring expert speakers discussing various topics related specifically to Chief Marketing Officers such as “The Future of Marketing Automation” or “It’s Time to Redefine the Role of the CMO.” These articles provide valuable information that can help coach your CMO mindset, and improve your overall marketing strategy.
3. Chief
Best Community for Women in Leadership
“A private network for the most powerful women in leadership.”
Website: https://chief.com/
Who can join: Women in the C-Suite, senior executives, and accomplished VPs. Women with 15+ years of experience who are committed to driving impact and supporting others to change the face of leadership.
How to Join? Apply on their Website.
Features:
- Networking with a curated peer group
- Masterclasses
- Guest speakers
- A handy platform and app
- Clubhouses in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco.
Membership Fees? Yes.
About: Praised as “the private club for women executives that helps them ascend to the top ranks and stay there” by CNN, Chief connects you to other female senior executives and accomplished VPs with more than 15 years of experience from companies like Doordash and Samsung to smaller, successful startups. Chief members can engage in small core group discussions, join workshops, utilize the Chief network platform, and host in-person meetings at clubhouses.
Chief’s purpose is at the forefront of every event, so you will be supported at every step of your marketing journey. Chief will guide you with workshops conducted by professors, economists, and renowned experts to increase your influence and pave the way for other women to follow.
4. Exit Five
Best Community for Marketing Career Growth
“Where B2B Marketers Go to Connect, Learn, & Grow.”
Who can join: B2B marketers at any career stage.
Website: https://www.exitfive.com/
Features:
- Access to the private Exit Five Facebook community
- Exclusive, Members-Only Content
- Job Board
Membership Fees? Monthly and Annual Plans.
How to Join? Register for $20/Month on their Website.
About: Do you want to improve your marketing skills and grow in your field? Join a community of 4,500 Facebook community members who collaborate on all things B2B marketing by sharing curated posts, articles, and feedback daily . Exit Five also provides exclusive content for its members to enjoy like their Exit Five podcast where they interview top CMOs and leaders. The community is active 24/7 with more than 1,000 past posts covering vendors to ABM that you can benefit from.
In promoting community, Exit Five established a Job Board that allows members of the community to seek companies and companies to seek B2B marketers ready to spark change and make results. There is plenty to benefit from within this community for sure!
5. Pavilion
Best Community for Growth Marketing Career Advice
“Run by high-growth leaders, for high-growth leaders.”
Website: https://www.joinpavilion.com/
Who can join: High-growth employees at all positions, across multiple job functions.
How to Join? Apply on their Website.
Features:
- Peer-to-Peer Learning and Support
- Knowledge Hub
- 24/7 Q&A Connections
- Small Councils, Private Sub-Communities
- Benchmarking Surveys
- Lunch Roulette
- Training and Certification
- Career Services
Membership Fees? Dependent on career level.
Pavilion is an application-based community for CEOs, CROs, CMOs, and COOs with over 8.5k members. The membership provides access to their exclusive Slack group chat where you can ask questions, share experiences, and learn from peers who share your challenges. If a question comes up that requires more than just a brief answer from another member though, you can always head over to Pavilon University, which offers classes guaranteed to improve your leadership skills and widen your field of knowledge. Pavilion also hosts at least twenty events per week including webinars, conferences, and podcasts.
If these options are not enough for you, Pavilion also offers an elite executive community called Pavilion Premium where members get together in real life and virtually for non-competitive peer group discussions, exclusive guest speakers, and leadership events.
6. Marketers That Matter
Best Community for Exploring New Leadership Models
Website: https://www.marketersthatmatter.com/
Who can join: Senior marketing executives and their teams.
How to Join? Email info@marketersthatmatter.com for more information and to see if your company qualifies.
Features:
- The MTM Visionaries Podcast
- A Marketing Boards Program to collaborate with peers in other industries
- Exclusive events, including:
- CMO Dinners
- Emerging Leader Forums
- The Marketer 411 Webinar
Membership Fees? Not listed.
About: The Marketers That Matter community is a peer-to-peer network of top marketing executives from companies like Google, Meta, and Nerdwallet. The community meets regularly to pioneer, share insights, and solve problems. As a partner with The Wall Street Journal, MTM has grown to over 1,000 members across the globe who are interested in helping each other succeed through peer mentorship and collaboration.
Marketers That Matter frequently hosts guest speakers in a variety of formats, both virtual and in person. MTM also provides opportunities to meet other members more intimately during CMO dinners and smaller virtual meetings. These meetings have enabled members like Nick Drake, VP Global Marketing at Google to encourage his teams to go to get out there, have conversations, and meet fellow marketers at MTM events, listen to new podcasts, read thought leadership, and be inspired by outside perspectives.”
7. Club CMO, Formerly The CMO Club
Best Community for Networking and Events
“Where marketers come to learn, share and connect.”
Website: https://www.brand-innovators.com/club-cmo
Who can join: Active CMOs or Vice Presidents. Must be the most senior marketing leader of an enterprise, major corporate division, or subsidiary. B2C or B2B industry leaders are welcome. Must not be a business that sells products/services to marketers.
How to Join? Applications are currently closed. Interested applicants can register for more information on their website.
Features:
- Live and recorded webinars
- Private CMO/VP dinners and summits with no vendor selling permitted
- Exclusive roundtable events at SXSW, Cannes, NRF, CES, and other Industry events
- Custom “inner circle” member subgroups for specific problem-solving advice
Membership fees? Free (right now)
About: Since its inception, the CMO Club was a community of CMOs who came together to share best marketing practices and learn from one another. With 35+ global chapters, this community programmed regular content ranging from CMO perspectives, reflections, research, and recaps.
Did you know? CMO Huddles + Renegade Founder Drew Neisser was among the founders of The CMO Club. Renegade designed the logo and its first website and Neisser remained heavily involved for its first 12 years, writing articles on over 250 club members, designing the B2B curriculum for the summits, and speaking at dinners across the country.
The CMO Club was acquired by Salesforce in 2020, and shuttered amidst wide-scale layoffs in early 2023. After a few months in limbo, Brand Innovators announced in June 2023 that it will pick up where The CMO Club left off, renaming it Club CMO, with the hope of expanding peer-to-peer conversations globally in a no-sell, no-press environment.
As Club CMO joins the Brand Innovators family, the identities of Brand Innovators and Club CMO will remain distinct, while aligning synergies.
Honorable Mentions
As Salesforce closed The CMO Club’s doors, a few CMO communities have emerged. We’ll keep our eyes peeled for new communities as they’re established. Here are the ones that have popped up on our radar thus far:
CMO Collaborative is for those who want to connect, collaborate, and support each other. As a CMO, you may sometimes feel isolated in your role, facing unique challenges and responsibilities that only other CMOs can truly understand.
We believe that the future of marketing belongs to those who are willing to take risks, embrace change, and disrupt the status quo. If you share this vision, we invite you to join our community of disruptive, new, and next-generation CMOs today!
CMO Collective is a by-invitation-only community of 100s of Chief Marketing Officers and other C-, VP- and Director-level marketing executives in North America who come together to learn, to grow, to share, and to succeed together. [This org may have been absorbed by Club CMO which we’ll confirm as soon as we can.]
A Final Word on CMO Communities and Coaching Your Marketing Team
Every marketer has a unique personality and style. But, as you can see from this article, there are so many communities out there that cater to each person’s preferences. If you are looking for a place where you can connect with like-minded individuals who share your passion for marketing and business, then these seven groups may be just what you need.