New program is set to equip marketers with the skills required to survive in a rapidly-changing, technology-driven market
The Association for Data-Driven Marketing and Advertising (ADMA) has launched a new education curriculum aimed at upskilling today’s marketers for a more data- and technology-driven environment.
The ADMA IQ program is based around a modular approach to learning, and allows participants to select courses and topics to match individual needs and to meet specific learning requirements. The new curriculum stretches from entry level to advanced and covers analytics, creative, content, data, digital marketing, marketing technology, mobile, privacy and compliance, search marketing and social.
Modules, courses and certificates are being offered online, in-class or via bespoke in-house courses within an organisation.
ADMA said the training program follows a recent survey of 300 marketers, which revealed 94.4 per cent will rely on data analytics more in five years’ time than they currently do.
When asked which skills leading marketers draw on in their current role, over a third said they rely on multiple skills including data analytics, copywriting, content creation, social media strategy and programmatic. When asked which skills they’ll rely on more in five years’ time, the percentage of respondents jumped to 52 per cent.
Despite this need for an increasingly diverse range of digital skills, over half those surveyed admitted there are aspects of their job they’ve never trained in, with the most common areas being data analytics, social media and digital marketing.
According to ADMA CEO, Jodie Sangster, there is a serious gap in appropriately skilled marketers when it comes to data analytics and true data driven marketing, and that needs to change if Australian businesses want to engage effectively with consumers.
“ADMA consulted widely with the industry on what was needed to address this gap, which led to a significant investment in developing an entirely new curriculum, ADMA IQ, in order to drive forward marketing and advertising excellence and innovation in Australia,” she said.
About 18 months ago, ADMA started consulting with companies that were having trouble finding new marketers with the right skills set, or finding it challenging to upskill existing staff.
“Addressing these skill gaps has been on the radar for about 18 months,” Sangster said. “We knew it was a problem and as an association it’s our role to ensure our industry is job ready and has the right skills moving into the future. So that’s why the investment was made, and it has been a year in the making.”
Sangster said the challenge is that marketing is now so much more multi-faceted and complex thanks to technology innovation and digital connectivity.
“Today’s training needs to be vast and marketers need to look at all the different areas and think, where do I need the additional skills to be a more rounded marketer,” she added.
The new training program forms part of ADMA’s suite of about 50 courses.
Follow CMO on Twitter: @CMOAustralia, take part in the CMO conversation on LinkedIn: CMO ANZ, join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CMOAustralia, or check us out on Google+: google.com/+CmoAu
In the third and final episode of our 3-part CMO50 video series exploring modern marketing and why it’s become a matter of trust, we’re delighted to be joined by Telstra’s former CMO and now digital services and sales executive, Jeremy Nicholas, and Adobe VP Marketing Asia-Pacific and Japan, Duncan Egan.
Flash back to the classic film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Television-obsessed Mike insists on becoming the first person to be ‘sent by Wonkavision’, dematerialising on one end, pixel by pixel, and materialising in another space. His cinematic dreams are realised thanks to rash decisions as he is shrunken down to fit the digital universe, followed by a trip to the taffy puller to return to normal size.
Why is it there is no shortage of leadership development materials, yet outstanding leadership is so rare? Despite having access to so many leadership principles, tools, systems and processes, why is it so hard to develop and improve as a leader?
As a nation united by sport, brands are beginning to learn money alone won’t talk without aligned values and action. If recent events with major leagues and their players have shown us anything, it’s the next generation of athletes are standing by what they believe in – and they won’t let their values be superseded by money.
