Update: The following post was written prior to today's shocking events at the Boston Marathon. All of Forrester sends out thoughts, prayers, and well-wishes to the runners, spectators, and their families affected by this senseless violence. — Cory

Today is just tax day to most of the US, but here in Boston, it's much more likely to be referred to as marathon Monday. Indeed, thousands of runners and wheelchair athletes are currently moving toward the finish line in the 117th running of one of the world's most famous and popular races: the Boston Marathon. For some, the goal is just to finish, while others are out to set personal records. And all have been training with a regimented, well-planned routine for months in anticipation of the big day. Marketers should take a page out of the marathoner's playbook when it comes to making the switch to the customer life cycle, a customer-driven marketing approach that will help your organization succeed in the age of the customer. CMOs in particular have the responsibility of transitioning marketing to a customer-first philosophy, and my latest report, "Evaluate The Completeness Of Your Marketing Effort," will help you get there (subscription required).

The inimitable Ice Cube once sang that you should "check yourself before you wreck yourself." To be honest, I don't know what else was in that song, but that one line is a good one for today's CMOs to heed if you're looking for success in the age of the customer — an era where your only source of competitive advantage comes from relationships with customers. Over the past few months, I've been writing and talking at length about the importance of moving to a customer-obsessed marketing organization: a well-oiled machine that is organized for and around customers' needs. We use the customer life cycle to illustrate how marketers should approach marketing to differentiate the brand or company in a highly complex landscape of products, media, data, and conversation. There's no one-size-fits-all approach for it either. But there are five key areas on which CMOs should focus to facilitate the transition to a customer life-cycle-driven marketing effort:

1. Strategy.
2. Organization.
3. Data and analytics.
4. Measurement.
5. Customer relationship management tools.

Dear marketing funnel,

It’s over. We had a good run together, but let’s face it: We’re just not good for each other anymore. And I’ll be honest; it’s you, not me. You’re just too linear, and you don’t prioritize the people that matter to me or care about the activities that I know will make me more efficient and relevant. After decades of good-enough, I’ve found someone who puts people first and recognizes how important it is to get to know them, putting loyalty over one-time encounters. I’ve found my soul mate of the future, and I’m going all in.

I’m sorry, but I’m better than this.

Fondly,

Chief marketing officer

Yep, it’s true folks — the chief marketing officer’s long-running love affair with the marketing funnel has come to an end. But put away your tissues because the CMO’s new love interest is a major upgrade. Meet the customer life cycle, which we reintroduced today in a new report, “Embed The Customer Life Cycle Across Marketing” (subscription required). 

For the past couple of years, I’ve been serving CMO and marketing leadership professionals here at Forrester in a supporting role and, in particular, researching shopper marketing and the path to purchase (P2P). I'm excited to share that, going forward, I will be an analyst on the CMO and marketing leadership team. As an analyst, I will have the opportunity to focus my time and research agenda on helping marketers better understand the true potential and business implications of shopper marketing and P2P initiatives, and I am fired up to get started!

Over the next few months, look for reports about:

• What the future of shopper marketing looks like.
• The impact of digital on customers’ path to purchase.
• How to organize and hire for engagement-based marketing.
• Key criteria to self-assess and benchmark performance.