We live in a rapidly changing world. In addition to structural trends in demographics, climate, and natural resources, there are challenges arising from more recent and unexpected events such as the pandemic and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. All this is happening alongside significant technological advances in life sciences, new materials, and, of course, digitalization.
In this context, what are the essential skills that any marketing professional must possess to succeed in an increasingly technological, competitive, unpredictable, and complex environment? I believe there are five absolutely essential skills.
Strategic thinking: An effective marketer is one who can think strategically and make decisions based on a holistic understanding of the company's objectives and market needs. Only then will they be able to develop ambitious marketing strategies that address the challenges organizations face.
Macrotendencies: With increasing connectivity, marketing professionals must face challenges and opportunities on a global scale. Therefore, it is essential to be aware of major global trends and economic and geopolitical dynamics to design effective strategies in an increasingly broad and uncertain context.
Digital skills: Digital literacy and the ability to leverage new digital technologies are becoming increasingly important in today's world. Any marketing professional must be up-to-date on the latest trends and tools in digital marketing, particularly in the realm of artificial intelligence. This will allow them to take full advantage of new market opportunities offered by the digital transition.
Sustainability and purpose: Consumers are increasingly valuing sustainability and brands that are genuinely committed to it. Therefore, companies and organizations, in general, must consistently and continuously align their marketing strategies with social and environmental values without losing focus on the necessary economic sustainability.
Teamwork: Successful market performance requires collaboration between different teams (especially marketing and commercial areas) and involving various stakeholders, namely, customers and suppliers. This means marketers must possess teamwork skills, effective communication, project management, and negotiation abilities to achieve good results based on efficient and effective collaboration formats.
These are some essential characteristics of any marketer. This requires a constant investment in acquiring new knowledge and skills, which implies an open mindset to continuous learning. Only in this way will marketing professionals remain up-to-date and, consequently, relevant in an increasingly demanding job market.
In this context, I am proud to have created the Executive Master in Marketing Management at Porto Business School fifteen years ago. Being a constantly evolving program, the 15th edition, which starts next September, effectively addresses the previously mentioned skills by developing knowledge, competencies, and attitudes.
Without false modesty, I can say that the breadth of the course, combined with the latest developments in the field of marketing, particularly in terms of artificial intelligence, are the main differentiating characteristics of the Executive Master in Marketing Management. If we add to this the learning experience at a school with the prestige of Porto Business School, then we are talking about a top-tier course that is unique not only in the Portuguese landscape but also internationally.
Article by Carlos Brito, co-director of the Executive Master in Marketing Management.
