WE'RE in the midst of a crucial moment for marketing in Ireland. Economic uncertainty and a fast pace, dynamic market is leaving many businesses scrambling to keep up with the latest tools and techniques to keep customers engaged.
Keeping up to date with customer expectations is certainly a concern for many a marketing department, but businesses are also increasingly looking to ensure they meet the needs of their internal staff.
It’s clear that investment in training and career development opportunities is a crucial element of the employer offer. This is equally true of those yet to enter the workplace; CIM’s 2018 survey of 500 16-18-year-old school leavers found that in order to guarantee their dream job, only 29 per cent would give up training (as opposed to 48 per cent who would sacrifice a company car, or 39 per cent who would be prepared to work at the weekend).
So, with the added knowledge that revenue growth is 30 per cent greater in organisations who invest in marketing capabilities, marketers are uniquely placed to, and indeed must, continually develop and improve. Likewise, employers must encourage continuous professional development for their marketing staff.
In previous years, businesses have been slow to recognise this need. Indeed, there has been a common misconception that training should be completed outside of working hours or put to one side if a meeting comes up. There are various methods to overcoming this, such as Google’s '20 percent time' initiative, but ultimately the issue of culture arises again and again.
If the culture or management of a business perpetuate the idea that training is secondary to day-to-day tasks or that it becomes less important the further you move up the career ladder, it is unlikely that employees will feel comfortable dedicating meaningful time or effort to these initiatives.
Thankfully, an increasing number of businesses are recognising this and not just improving training regimes for their employees but getting in on the ground floor and presenting opportunities for future stars of the industry. Similarly, it’s time for students, already rigorously studying for their degree, to recognise areas for their own development as well.
It’s something we feel passionately about at CIM and as such we run The Pitch, a nationwide competition, which is now in its ninth year. This year’s challenge has been set by Lidl, a supermarket chain with 150 stores across Ireland, asking students to devise strategies for promoting environmental consciousness.
Ulster University were high achievers in last year’s competition, and I encourage universities across Ireland to take up the challenge this year. The competition is open to marketing and business university students in their second or third year of studying and is a unique opportunity to build professional networks, learn about life at the industry coalface and kick start a fulfilling marketing career. More information at www.cim.co.uk/thepitch
:: Eileen Curry is chair of CIM Ireland
