Shaping the change

2020 was a year like no other, for the world, for the marketing industry and for each of us as marketers. It was a year where we discovered what was possible under pressure. It was a time full of challenges and of learning. And it was a time when in many ways we discovered the power of community, of collaboration and of the importance of coming together – of being braver together.

We all know that 2021 will be a critical year for marketers. We need to innovate and evolve, to lead businesses to help them thrive, to step up to the challenges our economies and our industry face and to be the ones who lead the positive changes that will need to happen as the world and the world of marketing move and transform. From adversity comes the chance to push ourselves in new and unexpected ways.

Sharing marketing excellence

In these challenging times, it's essential to remind business that marketing is a valuable driver of growth - building brands and attracting and retaining customers. And we're here to help you do this, in our Marketing Transformation white paper, distilling strategic guidance, best practice examples and critical business evidence. For the last 35 years, The Marketing Society Awards has been setting the standard for marketing excellence, providing evidence of effectiveness through its emphasis on business results. And it is this best-practice evidence that can empower all marketers in the boardroom and beyond.

The Marketing Society Awards aren’t just about marketing excellence. They’re about celebrating the huge contribution that we, as marketers, make to business and the brave new solutions that keep our industry innovative and relevant. Now, more than ever the ability to be creative and commercial as well as to make things happen is needed in order for business and the world to thrive.

So what can marketers learn from the best in class in 2020 to inform their strategies over the coming year? Looking through all the entries, the winners, the commended white papers, and the judge's comments, it became clear that there were three key insights that we can all learn from. We believe these three strategic insights can provide inspiration and guidance for marketers in 2021 as they work hard to ensure their brands stay relevant and buoyant during challenging times. These three insights are explored in detail throughout the white paper we've written with our 2020 Awards Partner Accenture Interactive. Read the insights here.

Do good and do well

The economy needs great marketing leaders to drive business resilience and recovery, to lead commercial success and consumer confidence, to help businesses do well in an important year. And we believe those great marketing leaders have an important role to play in the transforming nature of business too; to help it play a positive force in society and in the world – to do good in business and to help business do good.

As economist, Mark Carney said, “Value will change in the post-covid world. On one level, that’s obvious: valuations in global financial markets have imploded, with many suffering their sharpest declines in decades. More fundamentally, the traditional drivers of value have been shaken, new ones will gain prominence, and there’s a possibility that the gulf between what markets value and what people value will close”.

To do that marketers need to be the changemakers; those with the courage to shape the future and drive impact and effectiveness. When we are united, we can do more. Together, we have an amplified power to shape positive change and action in our industry and our businesses. This is the year to make that happen.

In 2021 The Marketing Society is committed to helping accelerate the success of individuals and of our industry by giving access to inspiration and ideas (world-class events and content) and facilitating the connections and conversations which will make it easier and more enjoyable for marketers to do well in their businesses in 2021. Since 1959 we’ve been supporting today’s best marketing leaders and we’ll never stop supporting and nurturing the leaders of tomorrow.

Shaping the change

And the thing is, marketers have always been changemakers within business. We are the ones at the boardroom table who speak up for the customer, look outside the organisation at the world at large and create change in behaviour. One of our superpowers is the way we can drive business forward by connecting what consumers want with what the business needs to do. And today, our role as changemakers is more important than ever. So, in 2021 we are a Society for the changemakers, those who want to make an impact and make a difference.

We will unite as a community and as an industry to work together to help each other do well in our careers and our lives and do good in our businesses and the economy – and to help each other feel good about the marketing industry as we unite to make the rest of 2021 a positive year for each other, for our businesses and for the world. 

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Understand 'The Marketing Transformation Triangle' - read the white paper here.

Enter The Marketing Society Awards 2021 here (hurry, the deadline is this week).

Want to be part of a Society that's shaping positive change? Let's talk.