The marketing-officers practice at global executive search and assessment firm Russell Reynolds Associates charts CMO moves in our ongoing quarterly publication, Marketing Moves, featured on russellreynolds.com. Here, for the first time, we highlight those moves for Advertising Age, providing our exclusive analysis of the moves and an inside look at the evolving role of the CMO.

Over the past six to nine months, we've seen a next-generation marketer begin to emerge. The old "CPG academy" model is evolving to a "hybrid marketer" model -- and it's changing the career path and experiences of today's top marketers. A more typical path might now include a career start in traditional brand management, then a move to an online, direct-to-consumer or new-media environment -- to gain significant digital marketing expertise, ideally, in a culture of innovative thinking.

In fact, given new realities, many next-generation marketers will come out of cutting-edge digital agencies and the media industry.

Looking at the most recent CMO moves, we're able to extrapolate some of the ways the role is evolving in the marketplace -- particularly at organizations where the emphasis is shifting toward customer insight and relationship building. For one, the CMO's ability to drive measurable demand generation is critical and now more complex than ever with the increased number of channels and methods available to connect with customers.

Meanwhile, demand for hands-on/operational marketers who have the ability to move at a rapid pace and stay in front of the customers is rising: Executive teams want to see tangible results, quickly.

In addition, CMOs must be deeply cognizant of emerging trends in the digital arena and confident enough to lead the organization in terms of creating or altering a relevant strategy for the brand.

The CMO must be seen as an authentic advocate for customers and, conversely, as a listening ear to customers who are advocates. That's because increased activity in user reviews and customer feedback gives new and existing customers a more credible voice that marketers must hear and react to in tangible ways.

Digital-to-consumer continues to grow in importance across all customer demographics, so understanding how to forge both one-on-one and broader community ties with core consumers via digital media is critical.

Finally, digital/social-media experts are leading the way in brand communications, and these leaders may be suitable for client-side roles. The cultural implications for organizations that go this route are key -- companies must be truly open and ready for change when embracing new technology and communication tools.

Moves That Define the Trends

The appointment of Rebecca Van Dyck as CMO of Levi Strauss & Co. Her training at Apple -- a company recognized for its innovative marketing strategies -- brings a valuable skill set to the Levi's brand.

New York & Co. hired Eran Cohen as exec VP-CMO from Payless Shoe Source. He is an example of an exec coming out of a company with a proven record of transforming brand through innovation in product offering and customer experience.

Campbell Soup created a new role for Darren Serrao as VP-general manager, beverages and breakthrough innovation, charged with the added responsibility of accelerating innovation across the company's U.S. retail businesses.

Mark Dowley joined Under Armour as exec VP-global brand and president-international from William Morris Endeavor. He brings more than 20 years of global marketing experience.

Larry Lieberman's CMO appointment at SocialVibe. His ability to connect brands with emerging technologies enables brand promotion through social media while tying consumers' efforts to charitable giving.