Presentation at the Northampton Business School to demonstrate a 'day in the life' of a marketer. Not that any day is normal, and I tried to show that with an overview of tasks. Presentation was on behalf of the CIM.

1. ‘Day
in
the
Life’
Thom
Poole
FCIM
Chartered
Marketer

2. Who
am
I?
• Experienced
senior
interna9onal
marketer
• Visi9ng
professor
of
marke9ng
• Chartered
Fellow
of
the
CIM
• Author
of
many
marke9ng
books

3. Where
I’ve
been

4. Day
in
the
Life
• Few
‘typical’
days
• Mul9-­‐tasking
is
important
• Wide
range
of
skills
needed
• Crea9ve/Analy9cal
mix

5. Modern
Marke9ng
Roles

6. Increased
Specialisa9on
There is increased specialisation in marketing – you need to go
through those hoops to grow, but map out what you need and how
you can get the experience to progress.
Decide what it is you want to do (it may not be apparent at first,
and you are allowed to change your mind). BUT expand your
experience – be in control of it!

7. Build
Wide
Experience
Try to build as wide an experience as possible,
and plan what you need to progress.
Network to understand what you need, work with
your bosses and HR.

8. Typical
Tasks
What
can
you
expect
to
be
doing?
There are few typical days, but there are typical tasks

9. Analy9cs
You’ve probably heard of ‘big data’ – data is everything. You need to be numerate
and be able to analyse the data, see trends and react accordingly
Can you create the insights that drive your marketing?

10. Marke9ng
Marke9ng
is
all
about
EXPLOITATION
Learn
everything
you
can
about
your
marketplace,
customers,
technology,
compe9tors,
etc…
Then
exploit
that
KNOWLEDGE
Give
the
customers
what
they
want
what
they
think
they
want
what
you
can
persuade
them
they
want
This
is
my
defini,on
of
marke,ng,
and
I
made
it
purposely
sensa,onal.
Analy,cs
will
open
the
door
to
your
knowledge

11. Budge9ng
You must understand the numbers, and be able to assess
the success or otherwise of your campaigns and initiatives

12. Campaign
Management
You will generally do this as part of a team – often with external ‘experts’ such as
agencies
Even if you don’t work in Marketing Communications, you will need to plan ‘campaigns’
– for example in new product launches, field marketing etc.

13. Be
Organised
Process
in
Marke9ng
Because you are expected to multitask, you must be organised.
Marketing often fails because of the lack of process – failures are
repeated and successes invisible

14. Campaigns
Document what you are doing. What is your Call To Action?
What is your Budget?
Can you recreate a successful campaign, and avoid a wasteful campaign?

15. Websites
Managing and maintaining websites needs a mix of marketing and technical
knowledge
Analytics are vital in understanding this.
Writing content for online collateral needs a different approach.

16. Content
&
Collateral
Can you write for your audience?
Your audience will be internal, external, maybe even international. You
need to be able to write (or manage writers) to create short
advertising copy (and slogans), and white papers.

17. Strategy
Do you have the ability to create actionable, impactful
strategies?
Can you develop all-round strategies that cover the
financial, resource, etc., that will get buy-in from
around the business?

18. Get
No9ced
How
can
you
progress
in
a
marke9ng
career?
In terms of your career progression – internally or externally – you will need to get noticed.

19. Team
Player
Marketing is a team activity
Even if you are alone in the ‘marketing department’, it is physically
impossible to do it all yourself – you work with agencies, sales,
finance, etc. EXAMPLE
You need to be able to share

20. Get
Organised
If you can be organised, you can repeat your successes, and
avoid failures
Go into meetings knowing your figures, have a plan B &
demonstrate your competence
ADVICE: Go into meetings with a pen & paper, and armed
with the information on all your activities, not just the
‘campaign’ you plan to talk about.

21. Have
a
porOolio
Normally
this
is
limited
to
graphic
designers
or
models,
but
I
would
recommend
you
keep
a
record
of
the
campaigns
(with
figures)
to
show
what
you’ve
done.
Keep
a
‘diary’
with
dates,
figures
and
roles
(ideally
with
names
of
the
major
players
in
the
team.
Use
this
for
your
career
planning
and
interviews.
Demonstrate
the
following
aHributes
in
your
porIolio:
Crea,ve
Strategic
Func,onal

22. Crea9ve
Be creative – this doesn't mean that you need to be a painter, writer or actor…
It means be flexible and open in your approach and think differently.
I am known for my ability to ‘Think Literally, Think Laterally, Think Looney’

23. Analy9cal
You must be good with numbers
Can you budget?
Can you calculate ROI? Or margin?
Do you know the difference between margin and mark-up? Can you
calculate them?
MARGIN – Profit / Revenue
MARK-UP - Sale price − Cost
Cost x (1 + Markup) = Sale price
or solved for Markup = (Sale price / Cost) − 1
or solved for Markup = (Sale price − Cost) / Cost
EBITDA (Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and
amortization) -

24. Have
fun
Marketers are renowned for having fun – though not at the expense of the work!

25. Thank
you
Thom
Poole