91. Respect - the currency of your customers (and your career)

The Unicorny Marketing Show

In this continuation of Dom Hawes' conversation with Simon Carter, the focus shifts to the challenges facing marketing leadership and the role of trade bodies.

They discuss how marketing organisations often fall short in supporting senior marketers, which affects the profession’s growth. Simon highlights the importance of earning respect within organisations and the difficulties posed by hybrid working on building professional relationships and advancing careers.

Key topics:

• The lack of support for senior marketers from trade bodies

• The challenge of earning respect and demonstrating marketing’s value

• The impact of hybrid work on networking and career progression

This episode explores how marketers can enhance their influence and become more valued in their companies.

About Simon Carter

A commercially articulate senior leader, with a track record of helping businesses grow significantly in the digital world. With roles in both the permanent and interim market, leading organisations through significant change and transformation across a wide range of sectors – from Automotive to Retail, Financial Services to Utilities, Telco to Technology, Travel and Leisure to Education, and into the Third Sector – in both consumer and business-to-business roles, operating on both the client and agency side, in permanent and independent positions. A Liveryman with the Worshipful Company of Marketors, former weekly columnist for a Marketing magazine, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Coventry University, and a director of a 200-property Freehold company.

Links

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk

LinkedIn: Simon Carter | Dom Hawes

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson

Other items referenced in this episode:

CIM

DMA

IPA

Mark Ritson’s Mini MBA

80. The Unicorny Marketing Manifesto: What marketing is

Chapter summaries

Introduction and recap of part 1

Dom briefly recaps part one, touching on the divide between short-term and customer-centric organisations. He sets the stage for part two, focusing on leadership and marketing representation.

Leadership and trade bodies

Dom and Simon discuss the shortcomings of trade bodies like the CIM and DMA, which focus more on junior members and revenue rather than supporting senior marketers.

The isolation of leadership

Simon shares how networking and hard work helped him advance, despite the lack of formal support from trade bodies.

Hybrid working and the networking gap

Simon expresses concern about how hybrid work affects younger professionals’ ability to build important career connections that were easier in traditional work settings.

Simon’s definition of marketing

Simon defines marketing as understanding customers and aligning with company goals. He and Dom discuss how marketing can drive growth by offering customer-centric solutions.

Improving internal communication

Simon stresses the importance of marketing teams being recognised within their organisations and suggests that proactive communication can highlight marketing’s value to leadership.

What marketers should stop and start doing

Simon advises marketers to stop apologising for their role and be more confident in promoting their contributions. He encourages them to represent the customer’s voice more boldly.

Final reflections and key takeaways

Dom summarises the episode, emphasising the importance of internal communication and the need for marketing to demonstrate its value. He encourages listeners to apply these ideas to their own work.