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My Take - Marketing’s Professionalism Problem

Marisa Crimlis-Brown

Marisa is a Communications Ambassador for the Yorkshire Board of the Chartered Institute of Marketers. She is Senior Client Strategist at 43 Clicks North and former Broadcaster on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire. 

TL;DR

Marisa Crimlis-Brown explores the ongoing issue of marketing being perceived as less professional than other business disciplines. Based on recent discussions and research, including CIM surveys, she highlights the key reasons for this:

  • Perception problem: Marketing is often misunderstood as frivolous spending with unclear ROI, especially by senior leadership.
  • Low barrier to entry: Many fall into marketing roles without formal training, leading to poor strategy and undermining the profession’s credibility.
  • Lack of professional standards: Unlike regulated fields, marketing lacks universally required qualifications or oversight.
  • Pressure & burnout: Marketers face unrealistic expectations, resource constraints, and constant technological changes, causing high stress and imposter syndrome.

Marisa argues the solution lies in education, continuous professional development (CPD), better communication with decision-makers, and stronger community support. She emphasises marketers should ground themselves in fundamentals, use frameworks like CIM’s to assess skill gaps, and embrace lifelong learning through webinars, courses, and supportive communities.

Ultimately, she believes marketing can regain its professional reputation by being more strategic, evidence-based, and committed to learning, proving that it’s not just creative flair, but a key driver of business growth.

 

The misunderstood discipline

I recently listened to Morag Cuddeford-Jones, Philip Ricketts, Hayley Knight & Ben Walker’s discussion on Marketing’s Professionalism Problem, which delved into the research and professional standards required in marketing. The conversation centred around how marketing is often seen as less professional compared to other business disciplines, and the why and the what can we do about it. 

This story resonated with me. It’s a topic I often hear conversationally. 

A recent poll, conducted by CIM involving 500 business decision makers, found that marketing is not well regarded. In fact, it ranks dead last, paired with HR,  in terms of professionalism when compared to other fields like operations, legal and finance (finance ranked first). It’s always disappointing to hear findings like these.

But this isn’t new. Some of this can amount to marketing activity often being misunderstood, easily labelled as “spending money needlessly” for lack of what seems like concrete and measurable findings.

This is obviously a challenge with directors, always looking for justification on spend. The struggle is real: to quote John Wanamaker, the late department store magnate, "Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half". 

But a lack of understanding is just one of the issues. 

There’s another and more pervasive problem.  Unlike in other professions – think accountants and architects – marketing has quite a low barrier to entry. I’ve seen it myself firsthand. Time after time in roles, I’ve seen colleagues thrust into marketing positions because they have either fallen into a role or been pushed into it due to being in tangential departments. I’ve seen colleagues hired originally, for example as a chemist, now tasked with posting on socials, conducting customer research, creating press releases and playing with huge advertising spends - unaware of additional strategies and tactics to better steer the organisation. I’ve seen them flounder in these roles, in over their heads. 

This has always seemed so dangerous to me, both because I would hate to be in that position myself, unequipped with the training to make critical decisions, but I also think how irresponsible these organisations are to fill strategic decision-making positions with people without the knowledge and strategy to make informed decisions in the company’s best interest. 

 

The case for marketing education

I’m a self-professed education junkie. I haven’t always been, but I really wish that when I graduated high school, someone told me, “Get ready to always follow your curiosity”. Learning is forever. I didn’t realise this. But I have always been curious and I can’t stand not understanding the ins and outs of what I’m doing. This is a recipe for compulsive study, it seems. 

Having worked in marketing for over 10 years now, I’ve worked towards and am now a registered Chartered Marketer, through CIM. I have studied marketing at a graduate level, and continue my annual CPD with skills from the likes of Mark Ritson’s Mini MBA and CIM’s diplomas and short courses. 

This has been my path, but it is not to say that I believe marketers need to have costly, all-encompassing formal education. There is so much available out there if you’re interested. 

I do, however, believe that to work in marketing, one needs to understand the fundamentals and background of marketing. You need to create a solid foundation to know where you’re going. I see so many marketers who are great at creating attention online, perhaps having fallen into it with a blog (back in the day) or gaining some virality at building a community across socials, that then propels them into marketing. But of course, those skills only represent a small sphere of what marketing activity encompasses when it’s pursued as a profession. 

 

Marketing as a career

Anyone in marketing understands how the profession is sometimes perceived. There’s often huge resentment that an organisation’s products and services need marketing at all; when CEOs don’t understand marketing well, it’s viewed as an expense they can do without. It can be seen as tactical, self-indulgent and non-strategic, especially with a lack of immediate tangible effect, which makes measurement a game of holding your nerve for promised future returns. 

It doesn't help with findings like these: 

A Fournaise Group study found, “80% of CEOs say they do not have confidence in the work of marketers, while 90% of them DO trust the CFO”. The same study found that “Only 42% of CEOs and 22% of CFOs see the impact of marketing on the organisation”.

We know better, of course. Because we’re the ones engrossed in the market; living and breathing the customer, the product, the price, the place and all the promotions that will make people aware and buy “ours” over “theirs”. 

An all-encompassing role 

What’s clear for marketers is you can’t be all things to all people. Marketers wear so many hats and so many disciplines to master. I would argue, it’s a faster-paced industry than many others. What’s worse, it’s often the first department to get the cut whenever there’s an economic wiggle (when isn’t there, ey?). 

How can a marketer, often in small teams,  be expected to deliver across product, price, place, promotion, not to mention people, process and physical evidence? Keeping an eye on competitors,  the fast-paced changes, the economic situation in the markets you trade in, and consumer spending patterns. They must be skilled indeed. And without a savvy team, skilled consultants or agencies, you can see why it would be a challenge to make successful and strategic money-making decisions.  

Some of the stresses of marketing were highlighted in CIM’s 2024 Impact of Marketing report, which stated, “Within the sector, there are various tension points for marketers currently: an increasingly competitive market where pressure is building to differentiate products or services to attract and retain customers; tight deadlines to complete tasks and projects quickly; limited budgets and staff, making it challenging to effectively execute campaigns; changing consumer behaviour; and increasing expectations, with consumers now wanting to see more from brands and marketing efforts.” 

Marketing Week has spotted similarly disappointing findings on the state of marketers, from their 2025 Career & Salary Survey. The findings revealed: “a generation of marketers on the edge of burnout” stating that ”80% of marketers have experienced imposter syndrome” and “60% feel overwhelmed.” Amen! It’s A LOT. 

 

Fast-paced changes

Though the fundamental principles of marketing remain the same, the pace of change in the technologies that allow us to market to people moves at lightning speed. 

Never has that been clearer than the ubiquity of digital consumption and all the tantalising measurable metrics that came alongside the tech. These measurement tools have made marketing justification a little easier, I admit. But they only paint part of the picture. As Google’s Messy Middle findings inform us, there is a whole section of the buying process online that these metrics don’t account for. 

Though our data-driven attribution windows demonstrate concrete results, there is a chasm of decision-making touchpoints that are completely unaccounted for, made all the clearer when marketing efforts are turned off. We need skilled marketers to communicate this perspective to key decision makers; dashboards don’t demonstrate the full story on where to strategically manoeuvre for increased profit and market share. 

From the CIM’s 2024 report on the Impact of Marketing, Head of PR, Content and Community, James Delves writes,“Reviewing the data it’s clear that digital marketing has become increasingly critical but also fragmented in recent years. With the proliferation of the internet and the increasing amount of time that people spend online, it makes sense for businesses to put digital strategies at the heart of campaigns, but also remember that not all customers are the same and that a well-rounded marketing strategy should take into account the needs and preferences of everyone within a target audience, Not just the most attractive segment. 

For marketers, that means a focus on life-long learning to stay proficient in both traditional marketing tactics and the latest digital marketing trends.” 

It doesn’t stop at the digital environment. There are so many factors to be constantly monitoring: our competitors, the marketplace, costs, the economic landscape, and a topic on everyone’s tongues, tariffs - to name but a few!

 

So what can be done? 

It’s clear that marketers face a problem. A greater respect for the roles they hold and the work they do is needed. 

But how can we help from within?  Firstly, taking a step back from the frantic pace can be helpful. 

1. Demonstrate the value we bring. 

Clear communication to your board and C suite of the broader impact of marketing activity is important. Upskilling them along the way with the decisions and considerations marketers make is so important to avoid knee-jerk decisions at the first sign of market volatility. This isn’t easy. 

From CIM’s benchmark report, “63% of decision-makers say ongoing professional development is the key to boosting professionalism.” This is when continued professional development, and the training budgets that are often ring-fenced for it , can be put to good use. 

2. Identify our skills gaps with the CIM’s Marketing Framework.

In order to assess where your skills could use a boost, marketing teams can use CIM’s Marketing Framework to look at areas you might need to develop further, especially to better communicate skills to your senior teams. I used this when I was studying towards my Chartered Marketing assessment, which was helpful to find the topics I wasn’t as au fait with. 

As CIM puts it, the purpose of the framework is to form “ the foundation for a robust approach, defining what it takes to be a competent, proficient, and relevant marketer. It guides performance management, talent attraction, and showcases capabilities, providing an understanding of excellence and responsible marketing.”

3. Learn. Continuously.

I recommend carving out time for yourself to learn new things and delve deeper into topics of interest or of particular concern. Podcasts are a great passive way to do this. Plus, keeping a trusted list of courses, webinars and platforms close at hand so you can dive in when you have a moment. 

Additionally, don’t undervalue the benefit of surrounding yourself with positive communities. I relish them. Some communities I enjoy are The Marketing Meetup, CIM North Group, Pretty Little Marketer and Girls in Marketing, as well as smaller communities in niches and locations closer to home. It’s so useful to hear what others are working towards and struggling with. We all get more out of first-hand accounts and help each other out. 

 

Inspiration at a glance

There are certain sources I go to again and again for both formal and informal learning. I’m enrolled in my CIM Continuous Professional Development programme (CPD), which means every year I log a number of CPD eligible activities, complete with my thoughts and takeaways on what I’ve learned. This allows me to synthesise my learning and keeps me seeking out new and interesting courses/webinars/conferences/podcasts that will enrich my skills. 

If you’re stuck for inspiration, these are some of my go-to sources for learning, both free and paid: 

  • YouTube
    • A no-brainer first look when you want a step-by-step on a particular topic. Obviously, the quality of videos varies, but when you find a trusted source, bookmark them for later! 
  • Platform-specific courses 
    • SEMRush, Google’s Skillshop, Hubspot, etc. Usually, all are available for free or small charge. Great to upskill around developing certain proficiencies with marketing tools.
  • Coursera 
    • These courses are of varying degrees of quality, based on the issuing organisation. But they can be very good at offering a deeper dive from trusted sources. You can access them on a monthly or annual subscription.
  • Mark Riton’s Mini MBA
    • Mark is a powerhouse of marketing insight. He has a few courses currently:  Marketing, Brand Management and Management. These are really fantastic and quite fun - with a lot of wild stories and cursing. You’ll get to know people in marketing roles around the world, and Mark’s anecdotes are second to none.
  • CIM 
    • Brilliant quality and they provide a huge range of courses: from small, bite-sized courses over a day or two, to certificate or degree level qualifications.
    • Plus ,they also offer free webinars and events for members which I always find valuable. 
    • Lastly, they offer a mentoring programme that can be a real help if you’re stuck for next steps in your career.
  • 42 Courses 
    • I adore 42 Courses! Every course I’ve done (which is all of them!) is absolutely brilliant and fun. They have a huge amount of courses around marketing, advertising, and psychology. They all have a stamp of approval from reputable organisations like Cannes and Ogilvy.
  • Girls in marketing
    • A subscription community that offers courses and support. There’s a lot of courses on offer and it’s a lovely community.
  • Conferences and webinars

This year I attend Rory Sutherland’s Behavioural Science MAD//Fest, which I really enjoyed! 

 

Conclusion

It’s clear the marketing field has a long way to go to solve our professionalisation problem., But from where I sit, it’s not a problem of purpose, potential or even willingness. It’s a problem of perception, structure, and yes, sometimes, standards. Yet, among the noise and accelerating pace of change, I believe marketers are uniquely positioned to lead. We’re the team connecting the business and the customer, the team fostering loyalty and longevity. 

By grounding ourselves in the fundamentals, embracing lifelong learning, and demanding the same standards of rigour expected of finance and law, we can reclaim marketing’s seat at the table. Continued professional development, community support, and a culture of evidence-based decision-making will help shift perceptions — from the creative supporting act to strategic growth driver.

Professionalism isn't just about qualifications — it’s about curiosity, consistency, and contribution. And I’m certainly proud to be a part of that.