CMOs DOA?

Advertising Age (the original Ad Aged in that their coverage of un-mass media is esoteric and woeful) has an article in this week's edition "CMOs rapped for having zero impact on sales." http://www.adage.com/cmostrategy/article?article_id=119071

The study cited in the article is by two academics--professors of marketing--and I never believe academic articles about marketing because marketing ain't academic. What's more, did these guys ever sell a product (other than themselves) write an ad or create an insightful strategy? However, I do agree with the authors' conclusions.

Most professional marketers are, in reality, professional bet-hedgers. They fuck-us group everything. They avoid taking a stand. They seek consensus and amity rather that impact. It's safer. Most often they buy work that looks, sounds and feels like someone else's. The irony here, of course, is that by playing it safe--buying safe ads--CMOs apparently are endangering their own jobs.