The Emerging Role of the CDO

The role of the Chief Digital Officer (CDO) in the enterprise has gotten a great deal of attention in recent months. For example, Gartner predicted that by 2015, 25% of organizations will have a CDO and further estimated that 20% of chief information officers (CIOs) have already taken on the responsibilities of the CDO.

Adapting to the digital era requires a new skill set that existing leadership teams, including CIOs, don’t necessarily possess. A successful digital strategy requires a holistic approach, involving Web, mobile, social and traditional platforms.

While it is true that all things digital are powered by technology, CIOs typically focus on back-office technology. They are not generally the internal champions of front-office innovations. The CDO has the responsibility to use technology to connect with the modern customer and craft the experience they get.

In the digital era, business models cannot be limited to what legacy IT is able to support. Instead, all business systems, including monetization platforms, must adapt to deliver the experiences customers want. Making sure that happens is the true role of the CDO.

LinkedIn Fast Becoming a Media Company

LinkedIn is slowly becoming a giant media company with a huge and very active audience of 200 million people.

As traditional media companies are struggling to maintain ad revenues in a very competitive market, LinkedIn is starting to deliver relevant news and features based on their interests and what people in their network and industries were reading and sharing

In October of 2012, LinkedIn began distributing "original content" though the influencers program.  The program launched with 150 thought leaders and has since grown to 300.  These thought leaders can write about anything they want to, and LinkedIn users can subscribe to their articles, and comment on them or share them with their own professional networks.

Hundreds of business leaders, writing for 200 million readers with a well-designed mobile application….. sounds like a pretty good media company to me.