Marketers hold the power

Jul 29, 2020 | News

(2 min. read) – Marketers back in Power! No other function is better positioned to understand the customer in this changed world.

Marketers hold the power

On the back of the World Federation of Advertisers survey of 700 marketers worldwide – AANA’s RESET NOW Forum “Marketer of the Future” explored what the must-have skills are for marketers now and into the future.

Speaking to Alastair Symington (CEO Blackmores), Leisa Bacon, (Director Of Audiences, ABC), Emily Dowling (CMO Mars Pet Food) and Kate Ferguson, (Associate Partner Hourigan International), the critical take out is that marketers now need to focus on upskilling in higher level thinking skills such as purposeful curiosity, creative problem solving and strategic storytelling.

The pre COVID need to upskill in technical skills such as digital marketing, data and customer experience has not gone away. However, alone, they are not enough. Moving forward successful marketers will have to be able to complement technical skills with the need to think & solve problems very differently because so much has changed. Consumers are behaving differently and the economic landscape has just got a whole lot tougher.

Other points discussed:

  • Invest in yourself. You are responsible for building your own capability
  • Data alone is not enough. Insights from data is where value creation starts.
  • Challenge all your assumptions about your customer. Many will have changed.
  • Constantly seek out new & different career experiences. Do not over specialize. Breadth of skills and agility in acquiring new skills are key.
  • Know your weakness and lean into making them strengths even if it makes you uncomfortable.
  • Leaders who think creatively are now at the forefront of transformation – challenging paradigms & being laser focused on amazing customer experiences are critical success factors.
  • A greater marketer is part detective, part poet and part scientist
  • Worrying trend of companies looking overseas for marketers with the breadth of skills & experiences needed to fill top jobs in Australia. If you can, complement your Australian experience with some time overseas.

Find out what companies are looking for in a marketer in Australia today by watching the key highlights (8 minutes):