A new survey from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) highlights the need for consistent, industry-wide standards that hold business functions accountable to “a high level of professionalism”.
The research found nearly half (45%) of business leaders surveyed have reservations about levels of professionalism across their key business functions, while 39% of all respondents believe a lack of a professional approach has led to wasted budgets.
CIM’s latest research, which surveyed over 500 business decision makers, found that one in ten believe their marketing colleagues act unprofessionally, nearly three times the level identified amongst finance and legal professionals.
The concerns over marketing’s professionalism were highest amongst small business leaders, with almost a fifth of respondents (18%) ranking it as the lowest business function, with medium sized firms (50 to 249 employees) coming in second at 15%.
Subscribe to Marketing Beat for free
Sign up here to get the latest agency-related news sent straight to your inbox each morning
The findings indicate that small and medium sized businesses are “suffering from a lack of professionalism”, highlighting the importance of investment in ongoing training and professional certification, said the CIM report.
The survey revealed, 63% of decision makers identified ongoing professional development and training as ways of improving professionalism across all business functions.
Chris Daly, CIM CEO, said the findings “highlight a critical challenge for the marketing profession”.
“With marketing being ranked as the least professional when compared to those such as legal and accounting functions which benefit from credited, professional certification and increased legislation it’s clear that there is an urgent need for a global professional marketing framework,” he said.
“The data clearly shows that a lack of formal qualifications not only affects team morale and campaign effectiveness but also leads to wasted budgets, an issue businesses can’t afford, especially in today’s economic climate.”
Those in the marketing sector identified reduced team morale (45%) and poor campaign outcomes (36%) as key impacts of when encountering unprofessional marketing teams, “underscoring the urgent need for formal training”, said the research.
Daly said investing in ongoing professional development and certification “isn’t just about boosting credibility”.
“I’s a strategic move to improve performance, drive better outcomes, and ultimately protect business resources. Marketing is a vital growth driver, and enhancing its professionalism should be a priority for organisations of all sizes.”
