Where digital meets magic: developing the skills of the future

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As marketers, we have embarked on an exciting journey of change to respond to the challenges of the modern marketing era. Teams are being led through technology, data and digital platforms, offering clients modern media platforms that have moved away from the traditional TVC and radio lens.

The modern marketing agency

At Ogilvy, for example, we talk about being a modern marketing agency (as opposed to simply a brand communications agency), which means that technology is an integral part of our communications offering. Ultimately, it is this integrated-communications approach that allows us to successfully connect with today’s digitally enabled consumer. This opens enormous opportunities for digital skills.

To be competent in marketing communications, experts need to understand all aspects of mobile, social and digital platforms, as well as they do traditional media. This includes, not only knowing their platform advantage and usages but their specifications and audience.

In addition to the abovementioned, the right mix of deep digital expertise, technology, data and influence capabilities is needed within one’s overall talent mix. This refers to talent with niche data, UX/UI, e-commerce, data strategy, influence, tech and development for experience design and marketing technology (martech).

Change remains the only constant

As an industry, we need to stretch ourselves in terms of the investments we are prepared to make in acquiring, retaining and developing the right talent to embrace this 360-degree set of modern marketing skills. Attracting and developing young talent in this space is a necessary investment to grow talent for the industry.

Change remains the only constant, and to be fit for purpose in the future, talent must be exposed to learning opportunities that fuel their curiosity, and motivate them to be brave, adaptive and curious.

Modern marketing is on a transitional journey toward mastering and enriched personalisation enabled through robust data integrity. In our quest to create work that connects to today’s digitally enabled consumer, we continue to invest in fascinating new opportunities to help creativity, data, technology and a dynamic culture coalesce into magic.