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Marketing Recruitment September 2009
Marketing News |
09/09/2009
Firms which have not kept up marketing efforts in the recession are likely to face challenges in the coming months.
As UK businesses look towards a possible end to the recession at the turn of the year, there will be a firm division between those who are confident that their commitment to marketing in the downturn leaves them in a good position and those that wildly slashed ad spend. The latter will have a lot of work to do if they are going to get themselves back in a competitive position.
It is likely that in both types of firms demand for high-quality, experienced marketing professionals will be high, a fact highlighted by recent research by Barclays which revealed that marketing skills are the most sought-after by businesses. Almost half of firms said they need a greater expertise in this area, compared to 32 per cent that want people with sales skills and 18 per cent which are seeking IT know-how.
Mark Stuart, head of research at the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), recently lent weight to the view that marketing professionals will be in demand in the upturn, emphasising that marketing is "at the heart of business".
"While marketing has been misconceived as often little more than promotion, we believe it runs through the whole of the business and that marketing as a discipline is going to become a lot more important in the next year as that is recognised," he added.
It is also possible that firms will be looking to bring marketing experts on board sooner rather than later, as Mr Stuart emphasised the importance of restarting marketing efforts as soon as possible, even if companies are unsure exactly when the upturn will come.
He cited research from the CIM which shows that companies which ring-fence their marketing spend in a recession tend to be the ones that are in a better position to get back on their feet quickly when the economy comes through on the other side.
"It is a case of modifying your marketing to take account of the new environment and to communicate the message to the customer that you are on their side and that you know what they are looking for," he suggested.
It seems that many businesses have already heeded this advice, with YouGov research finding that a third of small firms are planning to up their marketing budgets next year.
Those who have not yet started preparing for the recovery may wish to listen to what appears to be the general consensus among marketing experts ? to have any chance of remaining competitive firms need to be visible to consumers, and they have a better chance of achieving this with strong marketing team in their ranks.
Posted by Jon Aspinell
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