How To Future-proof A Career In Marketing

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- Sara Ivry

Thanks to digital transformation, there are myriad ways to reach consumers, and these new channels have revolutionized not just how advertising is conceived, executed and distributed, but who makes it. Then add to the mix shrinking ad budgets, shifting agency models and the rise of big data and analytics. Together, they are shaking up the established power players behind the ad-making game. To wit, in March, J. Walter Thompson eliminated the role of chief creative officer, saying it was “reimagining the future of the agency.”

So, how best to future-proof a career in advertising?

“You have to ask lots of questions,” says Tim Leake, the chief marketing officer and svp at RPA. “You have to wonder how does this work. Figure out what block chain is and what it means for your business. What is VR and how do people use it? You have to be insatiably curious about what works and why. It’s all about testing and iterating. You have to set up a hypothesis, and that’s across the board whether you’re an account manager, a creative or you work in PR.”

At the same time, brands are bringing advertising in house. Or, they are turning to the ad-consulting arms of global accounting and auditing firms like PwC, Deloitte and IBM, while Vice, The New York Times and other publishing outfits establish their own creative studios. And, all the while, individuals are sharing, tweeting, liking and forwarding content, becoming themselves ersatz ad makers and storytellers.

Today, the old rules no longer apply, and the new ones are being constantly rewritten, as the creative establishment engages in a turf war with data experts and engineers.