Time for more Marketing generalists
It is time to have more generalist profiles in Marketing.
The truth is that in the last 5-10 years, Marketing teams became much more specialized than they used to be. I see 3 trends explaining this specialization:
Data became huge and accessible for any marketer. So the more you know, the more you want to know... and you naturally start deep diving in your field.
The number of media and platforms continues increasing (podcasts, Connected-TV, TikTok...), which require more specific knowledge.
Marketing shifted from being considered as a simple cost center to be expected of acting as a growth booster. This is the ground for new profiles like growth hackers or lead generation marketers.
The consequence is that nowadays Marketing teams are constituted of numerous specialists:
for SEA, for Display, for Leads, for Media, for Content, for Design, for Data Analysis, for Partnerships...
But who is "joining the dots"?
At a strategic level, the CMO, definitively. The brand manager too. But depending on the size of the Marketing teams, it may be not enough... and not enough tactical or operative. That's when the Marketing generalists come into play.
The mission of generalists marketers is pretty straightforward:
Making sure that the "big picture" doesn't get forgotten. {strategy}
Being the guardian of the consistency in the messaging and look&feel. {brand vision}
Helping in consolidating the resources. {efficiency}
Being a Marketing generalist can be your strength for your future career in Marketing.
This post about the Marketing generalists was initially published on Linkedin in September 2021. Some adaptions were made.