MARKETING - BEEN THERE, DONE THAT, NOT GOT THE T-SHIRT.

Despite having worked in marketing, and more specifically in various different advertising agencies, for over 15 years I only have one marketing qualification to my name - an advanced certificate in marketing, awarded to me by the CIM in 2001. In fact I don’t even have a degree! Despite this I’ve managed to rise to the heady heights of Account Director, and become a shareholder in a marketing company. I tell you this not to brag, or undermine what it takes to rise up the ranks in the practice of marketing, but to make two specific points.

My first point - the marketing industry is badly underserved by relevant (I’ll come back to that word ‘relevant’ later) qualifications which ensure the practice of marketing is run by professionals who know and understand what good marketing is. Organisations spend vast sums of money on annual advertising budgets, and often with companies and people who are unqualified in the skill of marketing (that’s not to say they don’t do a good job - most do). Imagine spending £10k or more on legal advice with an unqualified solicitor, or a similar sum on a health related operation with an unqualified doctor. Of course you wouldn’t dream of doing something so risky. So why do organisations regularly spend £100k or more on marketing with organisations and people who have no formal marketing qualifications?

And onto point number two - when it’s all boiled down good marketing is actually just about being relevant. That’s not to say that it’s easy, it’s not. A well planned, well executed marketing campaign that generates a return on investment takes time, patience, thought, experience and a vast amount of knowledge. In truth marketing, and being relevant with your marketing has never been more difficult. Just think about the sheer number of media channels at our disposal - it’s difficult to know which ones will work best for you. Increased choice has given power squarely to the consumer, and with many consumers now 'dual screening’ getting their undivided attention has never been more arduous. And let’s not forget about 'always on media’ - which basically means there is a constant noise and proliferation of marketing messages which can’t be avoided - fighting for potential customers attention. This means that being relevant can seem almost impossible. How do you select the relevant audience, craft the relevant message, use the relevant channels, and have the relevant creative?

As I mentioned I’ve worked in marketing for over 15 years and with no real qualifications - just lots and lots of exposure to client projects and on the job experience. So you could say that when it comes to marketing I’ve been there, done that, but I’ve not yet got the t-shirt.

So I decided, with all this in mind, now was the time to upgrade my marketing wardrobe. It’s no good me saying that "marketing professionals are under qualified, but that’s okay because marketing is really just about being relevant, and hey I’ve got common sense in abundance so I know how to be relevant, and anyway the rules don’t apply to me!” No, that simply would not do. I’ve decided that I should get qualified. And while I’m at it I’ll take what’s considered to be one of the most comprehensive qualifications in marketing - The IDM Postgraduate Diploma in Direct and Digital Marketing. The qualification was succinctly described by the course tutor as “a license to practice marketing”.

Once qualified the course syllabus tells me I’ll be certified to:

• Define business and marketing objectives that are realistic in today’s challenging environment
• Develop the strategy, plan, implement and evaluate effective, integrated direct and digital marketing programmes
• Plan and implement effective, profitable customer acquisition strategies along with engaging and rewarding retention strategies
• Identify, obtain, analyse and apply customer insight to improve your marketing communications
• Test, measure and refine marketing programmes to achieve business objectives and improve ROI

Of course I’ve been doing a lot of these things for many years. Turns out I have practiced marketing successfully for quite some time - it’s just that I’ve not been dressed correctly! What this qualification does is badge my knowledge. All that knowledge and experience that I’ve ‘learnt on the job’ is coming together to make sense in a cohesive and comprehensive manner. It has also given me are a few extra nuggets of common sense that will improve and enhance the service I offer my clients. I’m hopeful that it will also give me (and my clients) extra confidence in my ability to provide them with marketing that is relevant to their business needs.

Finally, I’ve always been of the opinion that no article is complete unless it leaves the reader with one or two key outtakes that they can use and apply themselves. So here’s mine:

• Take that word ‘relevant’ and see if you can apply it to everything in your marketing. Ask yourself is this campaign talking to the relevant people? Are we delivering the most relevant message and creative? Are we using the budget in the most relevant way? Are the results we’re hoping for relevant to our business goals? And it almost goes without saying, do the people working on our marketing campaign have the relevant experience or qualifications?
• Oh, and if you work in marketing and don’t have a qualification then get one. I promise it will be worth it.