VML Southeast Asia and India CEO Tripti Lochan answers: does the marketing industry have a marketing problem?
Attracting and retaining talent in an era of exponential change is a global challenge, but in a region as fragmented as Asia Pacific, it becomes even more interesting.
VML's Tripti Lochan on whether the marketing industry has a marketing problem
The opportunities do outweigh the challenges of course, so how can the industry make sure it’s future-ready from a people point of view?
Tripti Lochan, CEO of Southeast Asia and India at VML answers The Drum’s regular Q&A, in which industry leaders, new talent and everyone in between, will cast their opinions on whether the marketing industry has, when talent is concerned, got its own marketing problem.
Do you think young people want to work in the marketing industry now?
I think young people are not necessarily inspired by any specific industry right now. But we are also not doing a great job of telling them why they should be working in the marketing industry. We are not verbalizing the classic “advertising is the most fun you can have with your clothes on,” as the famous ad man Jerry Della Femina said, to young people.
Are marketing businesses, or the marketing functions of businesses, retaining talent enough?
It really depends what kind of a business we are talking about – it could be a creative agency, an ad tech or public relations firm, a multinational corporation (MNC) or a small medium enterprise (SME). But overall, with marketing and technology merging into experiences, marketing functions are definitely changing. The jobs that are going to support the future will be completely different from the jobs that exist today. Retaining talent will be a challenge as we redefine our industry and what we are.
What issues do you think are creating talent shortages? Where are the shortages?
The marketing industry is only showing its negative-ness – long hours, lower pay. The sexiness of the industry is not demonstrated at all. We need more practitioners to share how passionate they are in helping to shape it, what they believe in – there is currently no inspiration for a greater cause.
Do you think the marketing industry has a marketing problem?
ABSOLUTELY. “We teach best what we most need to learn” rings true more for our industry than anyone else.
What can and should be done about it?
We need to make marketing sexy again. This is possible only if we actually influence brands, and how they are experienced by consumers. We need to lead from a position of belief. We all need to start from within; to get our staff to buy into a vision, and mission that is not about creating, but about making change happen.
Find out what leaders from PHD, Amnet, Dataxu and Sojern had to say about whether the marketing industry has a marketing problem.