Rise Of The Machines! Why Marketers Need To Future-Proof Their Careers

In this guest post, GM of financial services agency Yell, Helen Harris (pictured below), says with the advance of martech, marketeers need to be one step ahead of the game if they want to remain relevant…
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1.4 per cent or 268,000 of Australians aged 15 and over reported being retrenched from their last job. Add to that five million jobs — almost 40 per cent of Australian jobs that exist today — could disappear in the next 10 to 15 years because of technology, according to analysis by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia.
In 1965 Gordon Moore the co-founder of the Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel published a paper observing that as technological power doubles, the cost of technology is halved every two years. What has become known as ‘Moore’s Law’, essentially means that innovation in technology will continue to accelerate.
One of those disciplines most keenly impacted by the rise of technology is marketing. Martech is disrupting both agency and marketing roles, changing engagement models and career progression.
The ‘good old days’ are long gone
When I started out as an an agency account manager, the role was essentially a ‘dabbler’, meaning you were required to wear many hats in addition to managing client relationships, strategy and project management. You needed a good understanding of media, production and creative to have informed conversations. Over time however, the scope of the role began to shrink as specialists appeared, such as the strategic planner, who were much more focused and much more expensive.
Today, the impact of technology and the acceleration of change has seen a proliferation of these roles, focused on specific channels, all of which are increasingly siloed. Put in the context of a marketer and these changes are even more pronounced. The proliferation of data, personalisation and the emergent technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, machine learning, AI and the Internet of Things is placing greater pressures on those charged with growing the bottom line to be across all of these developments.
The world of ‘always there’ is here
In addition, consumer needs and the nature of service delivery has significantly evolved. Where marketers were once just asked to deliver big brand and sales driven campaigns, the emergence of multiple channels, technologies and increased personalisation mean that one big broadcast idea won’t fly anymore and that multiple test and learn applications of an overarching creative concept is becoming the norm.
With the advent of ‘always there’, technology-led models, marketers need to develop a more collaborative and continuous relationship with the consumer. To achieve this they need to adapt to the rapid evolution in martech to support the customer experiences consumers are increasingly demanding. The age of the multidisciplinary marketer is well and truly here.
Agility is the name of the game clearly, but it’s important to stress there isn’t a one size fits all approach. With this almost continuous change of both skills and application, having a plan on how to future proof your career is now a necessity. But the pace of change is now so rapid that many marketers career plans become redundant pretty quickly.
Instead, planning should be focused on the ability to adapt and embrace the new and build resilience to change. In essence, it’s empowering you to plan for things you can’t plan for, knowing that this is normal and actually can be exhilarating, if a little scary at times.
Being curious, looking for inspiration out of your network and immersing yourself in the latest tech trends is one way marketers can arm themselves an tackle digital disruption head-on. But it’s important to remember that technology is a tool. The one thing it can’t replicate is a marketer’s ability to provide insights through empathy, emotional intelligence and creativity (well at least for now).
As the statistics show, technology is already forcing changes in Australia’s employment market. For marketers to avoid joining the 40 per cent of jobs that will disappear in the next 15 years due to the technology revolution, decisive action needs to be taken now.
Latest News

Meta Says There Are ‘Serious Times Ahead’ For Its Workers
Everyone's CFO says the exact same thing after he finally finishes shredding tax documents.

“Call Me Bruh!” Kanye West Threatens Legal Action Against Aussie Burger Joint
The temptation to make a gold digger joke here is strong, but thankfully we aren't witty enough to think of one.

Your Wish Is Our Command! More Time To Enter Best Of The Best Presented By Finecast
Think your better then everyone? But, it's awkward to bring up in meetings! We have the outlet for you.

The Growth Activists Help Bassike Reach B Corp Status
In exchange for helping bassike reach B Corp, TGA expects free invites to the inevitable party celebrating the status.

Enero Announces Two Key Acquisitions In ROI DNA And GetIT
It's very challenging to take Enero group seriously when their ASX tag is literally just 'EGG'.

Seven Moves To Terminate Broadcasting Partnership With Cricket Australia
Imagine not wanting to show a full season of cricket where each game can easily go on for around four hours!

New Study From Redcat And Impact Data Finds Customer Marketing Sweet Spot
The study makes no mention of how many times you can drunk dial a customer before they start blocking your number.

Thursday TV Wrap: Leigh Sales Farewells 7.30 With 572,000 Eyeballs Watching
With Sales signing off, Tracey Grimshaw might now be the offical Queen of blazers and looking slightly concerned.

Charlie Short Appointed As Head of Growth At Revolut Australia
Revolut appears to have gotten most of the way through revolution and then given up right at the conclusion.

Transforming C-Suite Leaders into Empathy Officers Can Deliver Unmatched Business Success
If your management style is modelled after Cruella de Vil. You can keep your coats, but you should try being nicer.

News Corp Australia Increases Its Investment In Medium Rare Content Agency
Much like betting on horses, News Corp realises that since they're in for eighty, they may as well be in for a hundred.

“Bittersweet!” Nelson Aspen Hands In His Two Week Notice To Sunrise
Aspen now calling in sick, stealing office pens and finally telling the cash cow what he really thinks of him.

Non-Alcoholic Brand Lyre’s Goes Live With ‘Make It A Lyre’s’ Campaign Via The Kinetic Agency
Non-alcoholic is a term guaranteed to cause moans in the B&T team, but the animals in the ad are cute, so this one's ok.

Social Motive Gives Tangle Teezer Australia A Fresh New Do On Social Media
Social Motive could have been the name for a new branch of the climate change awareness movement. Missed opportunity.

InMobi Integrates Mobile Supply With Yahoo’s Demand-Side Platform For Direct Advertiser Access
It seems like the good people at InMobi have finally decided to go all Yahoo on us.

From “Little Things” Big Change Happens; NSW Government’s Multi-Partner Media Campaign Via UM
Here at B&T we like our medical advice from our footy stars and our spiritual advice from our reality stars.

“Very Proud!” Neighbours’ EP Jason Herbison On Saying Goodbye To Ramsay St
Neighbours will be there for one another! Until someone makes a noise complaint then Grimshaw gets a call.

First-Ever D&AD Shift With Google In Sydney Ends With Showcase By Google, Adidas And Kua
We can only assume the Sick Bay mural is more Banksy inspired than Pepper Pig. Though the pig has more cache than Banksy

It’s Not Too Late To Apply For The Shopping Category At The Australian Impact Awards Powered By Wavia!
Think you've missed your chance at fame, glory and Linkedin bragging rights. Think again.

Dynata’s Latest Economic Crossroads Report Shows Consumer Trends From Around The Globe
Across the world, rising costs are causing anxiety and financial struggles for consumers. The worldwide impact of inflation is affecting their outlook and behaviour. More than half of consumers globally are struggling financially because of inflation and the increasing price of fuel, housing and everyday goods. Russia’s war on Ukraine intensifies their concerns around supply-chain […]

InMoment Bring Major Updates To Their XI Platform For Greater Customer Experiences
Making people's lives easier one update at a time. Because nowadays it's all about accessibility, right?

US FCC Commissioner Wants Apple And Google To Take Down TikTok From Their Stores
Anyone who wants to ban TikTok clearly doesn't understand how cool Anna Paul is.

Fullbright Scholar Teams Up With CQUniversity For New Opportunities In Queensland
It's nice to know the Sunshine State might finally be using said sunshine for something productive.

“Talk About Soft!” Mark Levy Blasts The Project Over Interview With Climate Change Activist
The world is actually burning, but sure let's be mad at the protestors.

Best Of The Best Judge, Ben Pellow Nabs Group Sales Director Role At Forbes Australia
Here at B&T, we love to remind you about all the fancy friends we have. Mainly because they never cop to it in public.

Visit Victoria And Endemol Shine Australia Announce New Partnership
The new series will allow Sydneysiders to appreciate Melbourne from their couches, just the way we like it.

Sydney Set To Host South By Southwest Festival For 2023
This comes as part of a wider plan to steal Texan culture, with Sydney set to take on plentiful Cowboy boots and rodeos.

Nine’s Big Dog Mike Sneesby Announces EOFY2022 Bonuses For Permanent Staff
Bonuses were decided after staff declined MAFS merch as a thank you.

Tony Armstrong Reveals The ABC’s Reaction To His OnlyFans Account
Armstrong proving that even a Logie can't save you from boring meetings with your bosses.

Wednesday TV Wrap: MasterChef Owns Demos But Nine Dines Out On The Night
Thank you MasterChef for normalising cooking while crying.

FutureBrand Australia Grows, Makes Two Senior Appointments
Bringing the "future" to Australia's business industry.

Sedona Lands Cinnamon Darvall As Executive Producer
If Sedona can acquire some Milk, Eggs and Flour as well, they'd be on their way to a nice crepe recipe in the C suite.

Jaywing And Frank Digital Nab Rai Campbell For Commercial Director Role
Campbell will be called to drive the Jaywing to success. That's not a phrase out of a sci-fi series by the way.

Are Media Launch Body Positivity Initiative ‘BODFest’ With OGX Haircare
Cause there's nothing that will make you feel better about yourself than seeing Em Rata on stage.

Quantcast Launches New Advertising Solutions For Marketers
With the rate at which Quantcast is attempting to solve problems, Ariana Grande and Iggy Azalea may need to get in touch

Nielsen To Publish Global Annual Environmental, Social And Governance Report
Nielsen is releasing its global annual environmental, social and governance (ESG) report to share information in six key ESG topic areas including diversity, equity and inclusion, human capital, governance, data privacy and security, environment, and communities. The report is designed to demonstrate how Nielsen does what it does with responsibly and with integrity—and how that […]