The 2013 hiring question to ask a marketing professional

Professionals in the marketing function across major industries are faced with a challenge in 2013. How do we ensure our pride of place in the C-Suite ?

Speak to the average CFO or CCO and many of them would tell you they believe the company's marketing spend is too large for the corresponding ROI. This debate rages even in Nigeria where we see brand managers and marketing managers squeezing tight budgets to deliver on commercial targets. Fundamentally the role of marketing remains the engagement of profitable interactions and conversations with the spending public.

These engagements are no longer limited to marketing communications (advertising, PR, Events etc) but have in recent times branched into the production/sponsorship of TV reality shows, on ground canvassing and slowly but surely an embrace of digital marketing.

Needless to say, its a new day. The times require large corporates to think like nimble bootstrapping entrepreneurs. The exclusive "one to many" tools we had come to own are losing their strength to influence behavior change.

The tools of "many to many" engagement are now readily available to the small guy and to the big guys with large marketing budgets. The difference in results will arise from those with superior knowledge and deeper experience in their deployment

Those who will succeed in 2013 marketing activities will be those thinking digitally and those who develop deep understanding of their target consumer base. How well we understand the needs and current behavior of the Nigerian consumer will tell on our success.

In an increasingly data rich environment (yes, i believe Nigeria is quite data rich, you only need to know where to look) its up to your company to leverage knowledge to speak and win the war in the market place between competing products & services

What role will Big Data play in marketing differentiation in 2013? Plenty.

If you're thinking of hiring a brand or marketing manager in 2013, that should be the first question you ask in an interview

Have a great year.