A version of this article first appeared in The Annual 2016 as part of The PhotoEssay series. Like what you read? Subscribe to AdNews.
Would you go see a doctor who didn’t go to medical school or hire an accountant who didn’t pass the CPA? No, probably not. Because those programs and certifications help ensure the professional is knowledgeable and well equipped in their field.
A lot of us didn’t plan on a career in marketing, we didn’t study it at university, but it is now where we quite happily find ourselves. A straw poll of my marketing team here at Mojo reveals an assortment of qualifications including; business (me), computing, arts, English – with just one of us having half a major in marketing. In my own experience, I have worked with engineers, health scientists and even biologists who have all turned later in their careers to marketing.
This is not a bad thing in itself, creativity comes in all shapes and sizes. However, as a profession, the level and depth of baseline marketing knowledge can vary dramatically between individuals in our field. Even some industry leaders haven’t actually studied marketing.
Research has shown that as an industry, marketing agencies invest less than a third into learning and development when compared to other industries. The training that those in the early stages of their careers receive is more often than not, on the job, ad hoc and unstructured, often focusing on general skills, such as delivering presentations or negotiating, occasional conference invites and the ‘shadowing’ of senior colleagues.
It’s easy to hypothesise the reasons for why this might be the case – high agency staff turnover could mean you’re training your competitors; the never−ending workload means you need all hands on deck at all times; and agencies are winning business by cutting costs.
But, you’d be pretty surprised to find an accountant or a lawyer who hasn’t at least had a bit of formal training in their chosen field. Maybe those professions are seen as more technical, more academic, more serious. However, few companies would say that marketing is irrelevant or unimportant to their business. It’s important because marketers taking a more professional attitude to our discipline will better place them to take on overall leadership positions.
Ultimately, marketing should be seen as the most powerful lever a business can use to gain a competitive advantage, so those practicing it need to be equipped to drive their businesses as effectively as possible. Also, looking at advertising agencies specifically, what we as a client ‘buy’ from our partners are head hours − the hours of time of a marketing professional/specialist.
The value these agencies offer us as a client is at the end of the day their people. How they train and develop their people should therefore be a key factor in agency selection as much if not more so than just their previous work.
Regardless of how we became marketers, there needs to be be a more widely adopted and uniform way for us to learn and demonstrate competence in marketing skills in order to become credible experts in our field. In my marketing team, our diversity is absolutely a strength. It allows us to build off each other and is something to be proud of. But we must strike a balance between our diversity and expertise.
By Mojo Power chief marketing officer, Mark Khademi
A version of this article first appeared in The Annual 2016 as part of The PhotoEssay series. The theme this year, was broad. Simply: 'discuss'. AdNews editor Rosie Baker asked marketers to write about 'elephant in the room' topics. The taboo subjects that are a concern, and get talked around - but never fully addressed. What in their businesses are the friction points, the bones of contention - where do they see the industry going to hell in a hand basket.
The photoshoot aimed to capture the heated conversation and boisterous discussion of topics that only emerge in the aftermath of a dinner party. The equivalents of politics, religion and sex in marketing and advertising. These will be the topics that dominate the agenda in 2017. Download the digital version of the magazine for $4.49 to see the whole series.
For more see:
A Marketer's Lens: Print is a key force in our marketing mix, by Domain's top marketer Melina Cruickshank
A Marketer's Lens: Don't grumble over challenges, by Fox Sports head of marketing, brand & social, Chris Gross
A Marketer's Lens: We need a better way of nurturing and celebrating big ideas, by Diageo marketing and innovation director, Adam Ballesty
A Marketer's Lens: Short-termism is bad for our businesses, by ANZ general marketing manager, Louise Eyres | 2 February 2017 0 Com