This document summarizes key findings from research into how modern marketers learn and develop skills. It finds that while digital skills are crucial, most organizations do not have formal learning strategies for their marketers. Marketers themselves typically pursue learning in an ad-hoc way. The landscape of learning resources is changing, with more free online content but less quality control. Effective learning strategies are suggested to include personalized learning journeys, access to expert communities, and multichannel approaches. Embracing ongoing learning and change is important as technologies, customer expectations and the business environment continue to rapidly evolve.

1. 1
Embracing a culture of
learning & development
in marketing teams
Seán Donnelly
Senior Research Analyst, Econsultancy
sean.donnelly@econsultancy.com

2. 2
“The only thing worse than
training your employees and
having them leave is not
training them
and having them stay”
- Henry Ford

3. 3
Modern Marketing
Seán Donnelly
Senior Research Analyst, Econsultancy
sean.donnelly@econsultancy.com

4. 4https://m3.econsultancy.com/
Modern Marketing
Model (M3)

5. 5
M3 unites digital and classic marketing
Customer Insight:
• Classic: market research, focus groups,
surveys, pricing
• Digital: digital analytics, social media
analysis, keyword research
Distribution:
• Classic: advertising, database marketing,
partner marketing, public relations,
sponsorship
• Digital: affiliate / performance-based
marketing, content marketing, email &
eCRM, online PR, SEO, social media
marketing

6. 6
How Marketers Learn
Seán Donnelly
Senior Research Analyst, Econsultancy
sean.donnelly@econsultancy.com

7. 7
How Marketers Learn
• IN DEPTH INTERVIEWS
(SENIOR MARKETERS AND L&D
PROFESSIONALS)
• GLOBAL ONLINE SURVEY
• REVIEW OF ACADEMIC AND
PROFESSIONAL LITERATURE
• MARKETING TRANSFORMATION
• LEARNING TRANSFORMATION

8. 8
Marketing related qualifications: baseline
Yes
45%
No
55%
Have you completed a qualification or training
programme that is marketing-related e.g. CIM,
marketing degree or Econsultancy training
course?

9. 9
“I approach
professional
development on an
ad-hoc basis”67%

10. 10
“Only 27%of brands
have well-considered
L&D strategies for their
marketers”

11. 11

12. 12
The Case for Learning
Seán Donnelly
Senior Research Analyst, Econsultancy
sean.donnelly@econsultancy.com

13. 13
http://chiefmartec.com/2016/11/martecs-law-great-management-challenge-21st-century/
'The great management
dilemma of the 21st century
is the relationship between
these two curves:
technology is changing
faster than organizations
can absorb change'
- Scott Brinker
Era of exponential change

14. 14

15. 15
29 May 2020
15
“We need to live on the
edge of our capabilities”

16. 16
MODERN
MARKETING
MODEL
DIGITAL
EXCELLENCE
MARKETING
EXCELLENCE
1. Digital transformation of marketing
Modern Marketers
whose customers
demand their brands
blend Classical &
Digital Marketing
 Advertising
 Brand management
 CRM & Loyalty
 Database marketing
 Distribution
 Events and experiential
marketing
 Market research
 Marketing strategy
 Packaging and labelling
 Partner marketing
 Pricing
 Affiliate & performance-
based marketing
 Content marketing
 Conversion rate optimization
(CRO)
 Digital analytics &
measurement
 Data driven marketing –
schemas, feeds, APIs,
metadata, machine-to-
machine data
 Digital display advertising -
including retargeting and
programmatic
 Product & service
development
 Promotions
 Public relations
 Retail & shopper
marketing
 Sponsorship
 STP (Segmentation,
Targeting &
Positioning)
 Telemarketing
 Email & eCRM: marketing
automation, personalization
 Mobile marketing
 Influencer marketing
 Reputation management
 Paid search marketing (PPC)
 Search engine optimization
(SEO)
 Social media marketing:
community building,
collaboration/co-creation,
social CRM, social customer
care, social
monitoring/listening

17. 17
AI will permeate all aspects of marketing
• Machines are good at:
– Repetitive tasks
– Computation
– Data analysis
– Narrow AI (Email subject line
optimisation, Smart customer service,
On-site personalisation, Adtech targeting
etc.
• Humans are good at:
– Emotional intelligence (empathy,
compassion)
– Complex – decision making
https://medium.com/conversations-with-tyler/garry-kasparov-tyler-cowen-chess-iq-ai-putin-3bf28baf4dba

18. 18
Voice interfaces
• Voice SEO (e.g. featured snippets)
• Voice-optimised content (e.g. Q&As)
• The role of voice in the customer journey
• Your brand’s voice – personality and tone

19. 19
Data informed marketing
20%
Strongly disagree
36%
Somewhat disagree
34%
Somewhat agree
10%
Strongly agree
“The people in my organisation have the skills they
require to make sense of customer data and
insights”
56%of marketers disagree

20. 20
2. Customer Experience (CX)

21. 21
Source: INNOSIGHT/Richard N. Foster/Standard & Poor’s: https://www.innosight.com/insight/creative-destruction-whips-through-
corporate-america-an-innosight-executive-briefing-on-corporate-strategy/
3. Shortening business lifespans

22. 22
“…..tool up for digital
or risk getting left
https://www.marketingweek.com/2016/10/05/keith-weed-a-lost-generation-of-
marketers-are-bluffing-about-digital/
4. Need for organisational
and personal agility
1. Improved ability to make or
influence strategic decisions
2. Better able to integrate
marketing activities
3. Improved organisational ability
to deliver change programmes

23. 23

24. 24
What best describes your organisation’s plans to invest in upskilling its
workforce in 2018? (top-performing companies vs. the mainstream)
45%
39%
16%
23%
55%
22%
We will invest significantly in
digital skills and education
We will invest somewhat in
digital skills and education
We will be making little or no
investment in digital skills and
education
Top-performing companies
Mainstream

25. 25
The Changing Learning
Landscape
Seán Donnelly
Senior Research Analyst, Econsultancy
sean.donnelly@econsultancy.com

26. 26
Trade publicationsConferences & EventsYouTube
TED TalksPodcastsBlogsMOOCs
Information overload?
1. PERSONALISED LEARNING JOURNEYS

27. 27
Fixed bodies of
knowledge
2. ACCESS TO CONTENT:
UNLIMITED FREE RESOURCES, BUT NO
QUALITY CONTROL
Authoritative
sources Quality control?

28. 28
3. ACCESS TO COMMUNITIES:
PRACTITIONERS AS TEACHERS

29. 29
4. LEARNING SHOULD BE MULTICHANNEL
The perpetual
value of Face
to Face learning
Access to expert
content
Just in time learning
Frictionless
learning
Personalised
learner journeys

30. 30
The Future of Marketing
Seán Donnelly
Senior Research Analyst, Econsultancy
sean.donnelly@econsultancy.com

31. 31
31

32. 32
“…your job will get
easier…You will get
promoted…You will
earn more!”

33. 33
Balancing
technological
and strategic
awareness
DigitalMarketing
Traditional Marketing
COWBOY
LAGGARD
PRISONER

34. 34

35. 35

36. 36
29 May 2020
36
Be like Chris…………

37. Always
be
curious
Always
be
learning
Always
be
leading

38. 38
Any questions?
Seán Donnelly
Senior Analyst, Econsultancy
Sean.donnelly@econsultancy.com
Twitter: @Seanog1982
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanpdonnelly/

39. 39
Resources – Reports
• Implementing a Customer Experience Strategy
• A Marketer’s Guide to Virtual Reality
• A Marketer’s Guide to Internet of Things
• Marketing in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
• How Marketers Learn
• Skills of the Modern Marketer
• Digital Shift - Digital Shift is an exclusive webinar and accompanying report that
curates and interprets the most important developments, trends and innovations in
digital that you need to know about.
Run quarterly, our experts focus on distilling the key developments that are really
going to affect how markets are operating, what tools are used, and how digital
marketing and ecommerce practices are changing.