In the age of tech, where do humans stand?

From marketing automation, to the use of chat bots, to artificial intelligence, is the role of a human marketer becoming more and more redundant? The marketing function has been heavily disrupted by the evolution and adoption of technology. With digital advertising spend increasing, and more and more companies investing in technology to digitise their processes, the reality of machines taking over our jobs has never been more real.

In conventional marketing, marketers deploy their experience in the formulation of a sales and marketing strategy, which spans from selection of creative ideas, communication channels through to customer segmentation and aftersales service. But, today, every step is disrupted by technology, which replaces human judgment and subjectivity. In deciding which creative concept to adopt, marketers may deploy A/B testing void of human interventions. Consumers now decide by casting their votes in the form of digital engagements or click-throughs. Media channels are selected through machine learning and intelligent systems. l tell you who is interested in your products and services, hence, determining your audience.

Customer service is often being replaced by bots or machine interactive voice responses. Does this mean we need less marketing professionals than before? Maybe. Will technology replace some marketing functions? Perhaps. But all is not lost. One study from Gartner Research states that while 1.8 million jobs will be lost to artificial intelligence by 2020, 2.3 million new ones will be created. The number of jobs affected will vary by industry. Jobs which are routine and repetitive will be hit the hardest while jobs which require subjective judgment and personalised service will be least impacted.

At the end of the day, machines and technology will never fully replace humans. That being said, one can never stop the avalanche of disruptions and new technology, and the functions of a marketer will definitely change in the future. So what does the role of a future marketer entail?

For one, the future marketer needs to have digital marketing knowledge. Looking at media spending trends, digital advertising expenditure has long exceeded radio and outdoor, and is fast catching up on TV and print. SEM, digital display advertising and online analytics are fast becoming the fundamentals of marketing. The future marketer needs to learn and leverage digital marketing skill sets to keep up with the times.

Second, the future marketer needs to have an open mindset and be willing to adapt and change. There will always be a better way to do things, a newer technology which can provide a better solution, and new innovations which can drive a better customer experience.

Third, in this digital day and age, data and analytics form the foundation in every marketing campaign. And whenever data comes into play, there will be concerns on the use of personal information and data security. Like it or not, the future marketer also needs to be savvy in local data protection laws with basic knowledge in IT security. This is the only way to protect your organisation and customers from cyber threats. Last, the future marketer needs to be an all-rounder.

While digital advertising and technologies are proliferating, there will always be a role for conventional channels. And, as the workplace becomes more competitive with bosses demanding higher productivity and effectiveness, organisations often keep a smaller marketing team to be agile in
changing business conditions.

As a result, marketing teams need to be jack of all trades: to be able to multitask between marketing communications work, sales and promotions through to even running events or PR efforts. Machines and technology will never replace humans totally, but humans will need to evolve and change, and learn how to adapt technology to their advantage. As the new marketplace becomes the epicentre of business disruptions, the future marketer needs to become a superhero who can navigate the organisation across unchartered territories

The writer is Stanley Toh, chief customer officer, Cycle & Carriage. The article first appeared in Marketing’s The Futurist print edition.