iHuman

The potential for humans to be replaced by robots has long fascinated, whatever profession they work in.

In our own industry, the theory is that as marketing tech improves so the need for humans lessens. These days even our common enemy takes the form of (ad fraud) robots.

Whilst that may be the theory and all members of the WFA are undergoing digital transformation, I’m delighted to report that the BBC feels marketers are “quite unlikely” to be replaced by robots.

For now, at least, it seems that finding and keeping thebest people will remain a key priority for our members. In fact the theme emerging from almost all of our Forums around the world is that the evolving digital landscape necessitates a new breed of digital savvy marketer. This reduces an already small talent pool, exacerbating the HR challenge. No matter the supposed ‘maturity’ of the market, nurturing talent is a problem for all brand owners.

So how are some of the best and brightest in our membership evolving their approaches to address these challenges?

Demonstrate trust. Digital natives, not least in Asia, reject the career paths of their parent’s generation. Flexibility is key for them, be that organisationally, through ditching rigid structures, via flexible working hours, locations or which devices they use. By creating a culture of trust among colleagues, brand owners make their company a more attractive place to work.

Live your sense of purpose, inside and out. Members of our CMO Forum during Cannes Lions last year shared how a new generation of talent is often not lured by salary. They want to be part of something bigger. Having a real purpose, genuinely standing for something, is not only important in relation to your potential customers, it’s equally important for attracting and retaining talent. To be truly authentic, this has to be led, and practiced by the C-suite.

Don’t under-estimate internal marketing. Apply the same skills and resource to market internally as you would externally. Make staff feel important and valued. This may not seem to be a radical step but more and more of our members are committing resources to this. Promoting a sense of “People Inc.” within a company can help build loyalty and encourage existing staff to become advocates.

Everyone deserves a second chance. Don’t be shy about re-hiring talent that left for other opportunities. This can help boost retention as it can subtly spread the message that the grass is not always greener on the other side.

If you’ve got it, flaunt it. Global brands have an HR advantage in that they can offer the chance to explore the world whilst growing as a professional. Getting talent rotation right isn’t easy. Whilst talent in some markets, for example Korea and Japan, may be less inclined to move around, some regional teams pride themselves on becoming ‘net exporters of talent’ – not least because their best people are keen to work in global HQs.

Explore externships. Imaginative schemes to boost opportunities for colleagues still further can be enabled through partnerships. Some of our member companies, have worked with other brands to set up externships – where small groups of talent do temporary ‘exchanges’ with other brands to learn about a completely new sector. They then bring that knowledge back.

Let creative people create. It’s easy to lose sight of why many of your best people came into marketing in the first place. To create. Many smart MNCs now leverage their scale and investment with global digital platforms to create opportunities (e.g. prototyping projects) to learn from then to inform their own approaches. Many work closely with start-ups and agitators to enable such opportunities. One such world class case-study, Fly Fearless, will be shared by Mondelez at our annual conference in KL.

We live in fascinating times and it’s understandable, and often a smart move, for companies to look outside of our industry for talent. New brand trading desks may lead to the hiring of financial trading experts. Ad fraud may necessitate the generation of marketing security teams. The changing makeup of marketing teams is set to continue. Wherever your talent comes from, as one member of our CMO Forum in Singapore pointed out, the key is to attract and hold on to “people with passion and potential”.

I’m going to side with the BBC and predict we’ll still need people in marketing for a while to come. The lesson from our members is that the best way to attract and retain talent is by demonstrating the most human of traits.

We often hear that brands need to behave more like the person your audience would like to be friends with. The same should apply for your internal audience. Your best people are human too.