​ADMA launches new marketing training program to address data skill gaps

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.

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