What is marketings most important message? The world is changing and marketers need to change with it. The rise of digital advertising has already transformed the role of marketing, and further shifts are on the horizon. As they prepare to meet tomorrows world, marketers will need to radically transform their skill sets if they are to future-proof their roles as a vital part of business. What new skills will be required, and what skills do they already possess that can be better used to maintain or increase business advantage? Beyond talk of new technology, a host of other concerns must be attended to, including streamlined budgets and issues of sustainability, as well as ensuring organisations continue to attract the talent they need. Meanwhile, some challenges such as gaining influence in the boardroom remain. We asked five marketers for their personal views on the challenges marketing will face in the year ahead, and the skills they will they need to deliver success. InterviewS: Martin Bewick Freddie Hospedales, CIM Trustee, global head of marketing, ERM Environmental Resources Management (ERM) is a world-leading sustainability consultancy. St rateg ic ma rketi ng pl ays a key role i n developi ng t he busi ness i n a va riet y of ma rket s We are living in a data-rich, insight-poor world. Clients and brands want the insight yesterday, and they want it explained in a clear narrative. French philosopher Blaise Pascal famously said he didnt have time to write a short letter. This is the reality; we lack the time to condense and simplify our messages. This is where storytelling can help. Its about how we talk to one another and persuade each other, particularly senior management. If marketing really wants insight to drive transformation it has to wean itself off metrics, and consider that insight comes from connecting different ideas from different domains. Rarely do numbers have anything to do with this; they are there more for validation. The idea that insight magically emerges from data is simply inaccurate. We also have to be open to serendipity and spontaneity, and be willing to create new combinations. Unfortunately, senior management is often stuck in a linear mindset, which can create problems. The future of marketing and education is about being more eclectic. Even if you are a data specialist, you are going to be asked to be more comfortable with storytelling. Equally, some creatives are fascinated by big data and algorithms. This convergence between the arts and sciences is something we are going to have to get used to, and marketers may need to stretch themselves across disciplines. What I call the insider fallacy suggests that, if you stay in your own sector, you will gain expertise. However, its always outsiders who make the big leaps forward in all disciplines. This is nothing to do with marketing or the brand. This is how to get people out of the silo and connecting with a wider set of truths beyond the discipline theyre working in. My three tips for marketers would be: become more persuasive communicators by understanding the power of the information you have; embrace playfulness (perhaps through gamification); and become comfortable with being nave. Remember that those brave enough to ask the stupid question often reap substantial rewards. Raj Achan, MCIM, director of business development, Middle East and India, Goettsch Partners, and CIM Ambassador for the UAE Goettsch Partners is an architecture firm with a global perspective. It has offices in Chicago, Shanghai and Abu Dhabi. At a time, in the UAE, when our sector is going through huge change, marketing in the region needs to be one step ahead. Around the world, regions accelerate into the future at different rates. Five years ago, for example, the UAE was behind the US in terms of technology but things have changed. It has recently appointed its first minister for artificial intelligence (AI) and launched a smart government plan, the use of blockchain for financial transactions is commonplace, and automated services in sectors such as retail banking and healthcare are becoming the norm. The power of technology means 3-D printing, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are being used in the architectural modelling of buildings; in effect, you can walk a client through a property before it is even built. Then theres clean-air pollution technology and responses to new sustainability regulations. All of this is being incorporated into architecture, and marketing can use it as a differentiator when practices are looking to win projects. Were also seeing a new generation of employees coming into the market. Millennials have a different perspective on the world, as well as different career priorities and aspirations, and this is having an impact on architectural design. Those among the older generation need to pick up their game and keep pace, so they dont get left behind. Strategic marketing plays a key role in developing the business in a variety of markets. We need to use innovative approaches in executing marketing campaigns from proposal all the way to the end user, it needs to be an A to Z approach. At the centre of what we do is building trust and credibility, but its also important to create unique experiences for the end user and to take them on the journey with you. Through all of this, you need to hang on to the underlying principles of marketing. To feel the pulse of the market, for example, research is as vital as ever; thats not going to change, whatever technology comes in. Networking and trade shows remain important, as do face-to-face interactions with clients. People sometimes forget the importance of communication, teamwork and people-management skills. You need to be able to adapt and think about what might be coming next, and ensure the skill sets are in place to meet the future as it arrives. Alex Ridings,FCIM, founder and managing partner Think Studio Think Studio is an integrated brand/digital agency. Ridings is also co-founder of Compel brand consultancy. Ma rketers need to ada pt in ever y way across skills, pu rpose a nd behaviou rs We have to be open to serendipity and spontaneity, and be willing to create new combinations Its getting tougher for marketers, as economic pressures drive down marketing budgets. Disruptive technologies are shifting the ground and we are seeing segmentation in terms of marketing skills. In my experience, owning the conversation around sustainability is a major growth area. How well do marketers understand the business supply chain from beginning to end? The whole concept of marketing is becoming fluid, and marketers need to think more broadly in terms of what the business does as a whole. To be transformative, you need to demonstrate your value over and above your day-to-day area of concern, and be aware of how you are delivering business advantage. As the discipline becomes more complex, marketers need to redefine their roles. This means asking whether key stakeholders understand your role in the same way you do, and making sure these perspectives line up. Marketing is often still seen as a cost rather than a value creator, particularly in B2B organisations and SMEs. Marketers still dont talk the language of the CFO, for example, or have the vision to suggest commercial decisions. By changing the relationship with the C-suite, from finance to operations, you will add value to everything you do as a marketer. This involves translating our marketing insights and metrics into the chief executives language, or that of the chief risk officer. The same is true for tools senior management dont necessarily understand the relevance of page views or data optimisation. You need to convert this into figures relevant to the organisation. Everyone, including those in senior positions, has a view on marketing and probably thinks they know how to do it well after all, we have to market ourselves to get a job. This can mean marketers often face challenges before they begin. However, with a qualification, people can learn the logical process of developing a marketing plan, of assessing the sector, and so on, before spending the budget. Seeking out parallel experiences to your day job, such as working directly with the sales team, can remind you what the purpose of the enterprise really is. At the end of the day, this will help you do your job better. Anthony Tasgal, CIM course director, POV Marketing and Research Anthony Tas Tasgal is a strategist, lecturer and trainer, and author of marketing books The Storytelling Book and The Inspiratorium. Clients are coming to us much earlier in the process, because they know we have the science to show them what is possible Got any suggestions for topics for Catalyst Asks features? If so, or you are interested in contributing, email editorial@cim.co.uk At our agency, we are seeing the needs of clients diverge. Some want a full-service agency, while others require very specialist services, often at the higher levels of planning and strategy. Many of our clients hail from the FMCG, finance and legal sectors. We believe these organisations will feel a particular need to differentiate themselves, with an emphasis on brand. While the focus for these organisations has traditionally been offline, digital is due to take centre stage, especially in B2B. As such, weve positioned ourselves as a brand and digital agency. We tend to focus on the higher-level message rather than on funnelling people towards a conversion and harvesting their data. Today, our clients expect us to respond incredibly quickly, so having the capacity to be reactive is crucial. Agility is a key plank in our strategy, alongside data-driven modelling and optimisation, which influences how we advise our clients on brand. Clients expect results almost immediately, so marketing plans are changed on the go. This impacts upon the mid-level marketers we sometimes work with, who are under time and budgetary pressures from above. Clients are coming to us much earlier in the process, because they know we have the science to show them what is possible. Often, it comes down to increasing reach in markets where customer needs are changing. For example, more traditional businesses are finding that their customers are more tech-savvy, which means they have to upskill themselves and adjust how they work. One interesting development is that we frequently work directly with business leaders. Marketers are not always given the freedom to run the relationship. In terms of soft skills, marketers with a broad remit should look to develop an entrepreneurial mindset, while maintaining authenticity. It comes back to using technology empathetically to understand the customer, and using these insights creatively. We often find ourselves doing customer research for clients, to do justice to the challenge were given. This can lead to rethinking the brand entirely, all the way through to the lexicon used in customer communications. However, the effectiveness of content marketing is beginning to wane, because of the sheer volume of it out there. In the future, I think well see a polarisation between data-driven mass marketing and the top-end sphere, where higher-level creative is still king. Well see a pol a risation bet ween dat a - d riven mass ma rketing a nd t he top - end sphere The whole concept of marketing is becoming fluid, and marketers need to think more broadly Catalyst asks The big question Gemma Butler, marketing director, Chartered Institute of Marketing CIM is the worlds leading professional marketing body and works with marketers and organisations to improve their marketing capability in a world of constant change, where marketing has never been more critical to business growth. Marketers are operating in an environment where change is all around, technology continues to develop at pace, consumer behaviour is constantly fluctuating, competition is intensifying, and retaining engagement is getting harder. Marketing has always been crucial in unlocking new opportunities, but in todays environment it is all the more important. If the world marketing operates in is changing at such speed, then it should come as no surprise that skillsets will also need to evolve, and to keep up marketers will need to adapt in every way across skills, purpose and behaviours. Earlier this year, we carried out research in collaboration with PwC to develop our Export Ready report, which looked at the challenges and opportunities organisations face when breaking into new markets. We asked what skills marketers of the future will need and the results clearly showed that a balance of both core and technical skills are required if we are to meet the challenges ahead. The introduction of GDPR means that building a valuable relationship with customers is even more critical as they now choose if they want to engage. Core skills in building relationships and communication are vital when it comes to engaging and then retaining customers, as is the correct use of data. Machine learning continues to evolve, empowering marketing to understand data. Marketers can then build it into a strategy that can enable a business to enter new markets. When you take all of this into consideration, its clear that a joined-up approach is required. Marketing needs to be aligned to business objectives, so it can deliver the insight, data and ideas that not only allow organisations to grow but also to change and evolve. Change is an important word here, our environment means we must look beyond growth, to consider when and where else we need to evolve. It is therefore critical that marketing has a clear voice and can input into the organisations strategy. Without that input, how can a business understand the external factors that are driving and challenging it, and the cost of taking the business in the direction you want to go? cim.co.uk/exchange Marketing needs to be aligned to business objectives