The future of the marketing profession — Dan Radu // Macro

Dan Radu, President of Macro, talks about trends that may end up defining the future of marketing. As AI technology and automation continue to impact the marketing profession, it is important to remember that the fundamentals of marketing remain the same. While the practices and skill sets required may evolve, understanding the customer's needs and desires will always be essential. Today, Dan discusses the future of the marketing profession.

About the speaker

Dan Radu

Macro

Dan is the President of Macro

Part 1 The future of the marketing profession — Dan Radu // Macro
Part 2Globalization in Technology Marketing — Dan Radu // Macro

Show Notes

02:08

The evolution of marketing in the last decade

10 years ago, marketing automation and martech were novel concepts, and there was a limited pool of talent with expertise in these areas. Today, basic skills like knowing the difference between contacts and accounts are essential for anyone entering the digital marketing field.
03:32

The growing trend of merging marketing and sales for revenue growth

Marketing has become much more diverse today, with a greater emphasis on technology and technical skills. Revenue generation is now a major focus, with marketing leaders often overseeing both sales and marketing to streamline the process.
04:41

The impact of privacy changes and data restrictions on marketing

The availability of more data has made privacy increasingly important in marketing, especially in North America where it is highly valued. However, privacy restrictions make it challenging to bring together all the necessary data points to prove ROI and track touch points to close deals.
06:18

The shift in marketing focus from bottom of funnel to awareness building

The future of marketing seems to be more focused on building awareness rather than just helping with bottom-of-the-funnel activities. With more competitors in the market, it is important to differentiate oneself by letting people know that your company exists as an option.
07:36

The role of AI in the future of marketing

The future of AI in marketing will involve multiple solutions and applications, rather than one dominant AI vendor. ??Essentially, AI will not replace jobs, but rather automate job processes, and shift the focus of existing marketing roles.
09:34

The impact of AI on the marketing skill set

Marketers will need to work like IT professionals in terms of planning, creating roadmaps for technology rollouts, and managing the adoption and onboarding of AI solutions. As a result, agile marketing practices will become increasingly important.
10:37

Agile marketing practices and their importance in the future of marketing

Marketing technology is meant to enable a business, not hinder it. Marketing technology managers must be aware of product updates, server issues, and system failures, and set those expectations with stakeholders in the marketing organization.
12:35

How marketers can future proof their careers

With the democratization of information, there are various courses and training programs available online, along with communities where professionals can learn from each other. Marketing technology vendors also offer training opportunities.
14:03

Foundational marketing principles for early career marketers to keep in mind

Understanding the customer's needs will always be a fundamental aspect of marketing. Marketers should keep in mind the marketing strategies theyve learned in school, and prioritize the basic marketing principles, such as creating a pleasant customer experience.

Quotes

"11 years ago in my first demand gen consulting job, my manager was doing a CRM project and didn't know the difference between contacts and accounts. Now, these are basic skills to get into digital." -Dan Radu, President, Macro
"I consider marketing as an extension of sales because it's there to support sales, to generate leads." -Dan Radu, President, Macro
"Marketing has more strain now, so a lot more focus has to be put on revenue generation. A lot of marketing leaders oversee both sales and marketing just so they can streamline the process." -Dan Radu, President, Macro
"The more data that's available, the more privacy becomes important." -Dan Radu, President, Macro
"Similar to how right now there are different software vendors, there are different AI vendors. There isnt going to be one AI to rule them all." -Dan Radu, President, Macro
"One of the myths with any type of automation AI is that you automate the person's role. But it's not the person's role that you automate, you automate the job process." -Dan Radu, President, Macro
"I don't think marketers have been used to working in the same way as IT professionals have. That's why agile marketing practices will become more important than they are now." -Dan Radu, President, Macro