Which Marketing Skills Will Be Most Valuable in the Coming Years?

In this time of significant transformation (generative artificial intelligence, data growth, digital shifts…), Gartner has analyzed nearly 300,000 job postings in marketing over recent years to assess the evolution of required skills. What will be the recruitment strategies or upskilling approaches for marketing managers in the future?

Reading the Future in Yesterday’s Weak Signals. This is Gartner’s reasoning as they examined 290,677 job offers in the marketing field from August 2020 to June 2023, from U.S. companies of all sectors with at least 500 employees. The analysis focused on “data skills,” “responsibilities,” and “qualifications” using artificial intelligence.

The goal? To observe the evolution of demanded marketing skills over time. According to the World Economic Forum’s report on the future of work, 44% of key employee skills are expected to change in the next five years. This finding is particularly relevant in the marketing industry at large, facing increasing challenges related to data privacy (complicating marketers’ analyses), transformations in business models, and the emergence of artificial intelligence…

Here are the 3 key insights from the report:

1. Preparing Talent to Navigate Generative AI Exploration

In the analyzed job postings, generative AI is not yet among the most sought-after skills. However, Gartner explains this easily: managers are still in the exploration or experimentation stage. Nonetheless, the American firm already recommends the following actions for organizations:

Train existing employees to use generative AI technologies in their daily tasks (and give them bandwidth to learn and explore in this area!)
Utilize recently added Gen AI modules in common solutions, like Microsoft 365 Copilot
Develop an internal AI strategy with other company functions before investing in hiring AI skills

Currently, most hired profiles specialized in AI tend to be product managers, primarily in software and IT companies. However, Gartner expects this skill to gradually spread to other functions in the future, particularly related to the marketing department.

2. Bridging Data Skills Gaps, Especially for Managers

Marketing leaders need to recruit and develop talent capable of generating customer-centric insights and communicating the impact of marketing on the company’s business model. To address these existing gaps, managers must have the necessary skills to interpret data and understand their organization’s data operations,” states the report.

The demand for data skills, such as performing data analysis and transforming data into actionable information for decision-making, has indeed seen a notable increase in recent years, encompassing both behavioral and technical skills.

Managers with these skills are better equipped to assess the credibility of the analysis and recommendations produced by their teams. In other words, an increasing number of marketing leaders will seek managers competent enough to hire talent with the right technical and analytical capabilities to support their organizations,” concludes Gartner.

3. Knowing How to Collaborate with Other Teams

This trend may seem surprising as it is less related to technological advancements. However, according to Gartner, with stagnant marketing budgets and economic uncertainty, marketing leaders will need to increasingly demonstrate the value of marketing and enhance their influence within their organization.

Thus, 46% of job postings mention collaboration between teams for managerial roles, compared to only 22% for junior positions. The report indicates that many marketing teams are seeking roles that include sales or public relations components. For example, positions like “Sales and Marketing Specialist” or “Communications Specialist.”

These roles can help marketing have a more visible impact. Again, the report recommends recruiting such profiles with broader skills to spread this culture within the organization or to build career paths that include these new skills.

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